


Oh father, where art thou?

by AlexaCardew



Series: Home is where the heart is [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, First Time, Gen, Homophobia, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-11
Updated: 2013-03-11
Packaged: 2017-12-05 00:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 77,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/716802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaCardew/pseuds/AlexaCardew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Burt and Elisabeth Hummel divorce shortly after their son Kurt's ninth birthday due to Burt's homophobia. While Kurt stays with his mother in Ohio, his father relocates to Texas. Shortly after Kurt’s seventeenth birthday, tragedy strikes and Burt, who has remarried, suddenly has to take care of a son he never really understood and deal with more than a few surprises along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Inevitable dissolution of a marriage

**Author's Note:**

> Or: What if Kurt had grown up with his mother because his dad couldn't handle him or who Burt could have turned out to be if he hadn't been forced to raise Kurt as a single dad.
> 
> This was my first fan fiction, originally posted on fanfiction.net. While I've been speaking English for over fifteen years, it's not my first language, so please excuse possible grammar or spelling mistakes.

 

**Inevitable dissolution of a marriage**

_Lima OH, June 5, 2002_

Elisabeth Hummel, a petite woman in her late twenties with long auburn hair, sat on her living room couch and looked at her watch once more. It was approaching eleven, but her husband Burt was still out. For the fifth time in just the last two weeks, she was waiting for him to come home. The excuses were always the same – having to work late and watching a game with his work buddies at the local sport's bar. Other women might have suspected an affair, but Elisabeth knew that Burt was truthful – at least about his whereabouts. His reasons for avoiding spending time at home she could only guess.

At ten past eleven she finally heard Burt's derelict truck pull into the driveway. Instead of greeting her husband at the front door, like she had done in the past, she remained in the living room of their small, but homey house. When Burt, who was the exact opposite of her – in his late twenties and already balding, tall and burly, and always in some combination of flannel shirt, blue jeans and workers’ boots - saw her sitting there, he seemed surprised.

"You didn't have to wait up for me Liz, I told you I had to work late."

Elisabeth scoffed. Work late my ass. When she finally answered she knew she sounded tired.

"I can't do it anymore, Burt."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't sign up to be a single mom but lately it feels like that's what I've become."

"Liz, you know I'm working late for us. I need to save up enough money so I can open my own garage."

"What I need is for you to be here with us!" Elisabeth told him exasperatedly. "But all you do is find excuses so you won't have to spend time with your family."

Burt didn't know how to respond. Mostly because what Liz was saying was the truth. He did spend all his time at the garage and Woody's, because he didn't know how to deal with his son anymore. His son, who refused to play any sports, but demanded tap dance lessons instead. His son, who wanted tea parties instead of spending time with him when he worked on cars. His son, who had to have his room moved to the basement because the one upstairs didn't have a big enough closet. He did love his family; he just didn't understand any of it. He didn't understand where he had gone wrong. So he distanced himself. Found excuses to stay away.

Elisabeth was staring at him, obviously waiting for his answer. He decided to play dumb, because he knew if he really said what was on his mind, it would only cause a fight, not just an argument about coming home late.

"I don't know what you mean. I'm not avoiding you. And we both know that Kurt rather spends his time with you." That at least was true.

"Because I'm not trying to change him. Force him into things he doesn't want!"

"How can he possibly know what he wants – he just turned nine!" By now they had both raised their voices, but not loud enough to wake Kurt.

Elisabeth took a deep breath. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she hadn't been lying when she told him earlier she couldn't do it anymore.

"Burt, if you can't be a proper father to your son and a caring husband to me, I'd rather you not be a father and husband at all."

For a few seconds, Burt just stared at Liz in shock. Did she mean what he thought she meant? No, she wouldn't.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, either you're part of this family – a real part – or you're not. If you can't do that, I want you to move out. Parents get divorced all the time. Kurt knows that. What I can't have is your son thinking his dad is never here because he doesn't love him."

"I do love you both," Burt protested weakly.

He didn't want to lose his family, but in his heart he knew that he'd already lost them some time ago. Still, he couldn't help but be angry. How dare his wife give him an ultimatum? After everything he had done for his family.

"Fine. You want me gone. I'll leave. Uncle Frank's been offering me a partnership in his garage down in Austin for some time now. Maybe it's time to take him up on the offer."

"Burt."

"No! You're right. I need a change of scenery. I'll be gone in the morning."

"Burt," Elisabeth tried again, but Burt brushed her off and stormed out of the house. Shortly after she heard the truck come to life and the car speeding away.

Elisabeth sank back down onto the couch and for the first time in months allowed herself to cry. What would happen to them now? Had she overreacted? The pitter-patter of tiny feet on the stairs made her look up and wiped away the tears.

"Mom", a voice asked from the stairs.

Elisabeth quickly got back into mom mode.

“What's wrong, honey? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, I heard you and Dad talking down here. Why are you crying?"

A small for his age, recently turned nine year old cautiously approached the couch. He was wearing Power Rangers pajamas and his brown hair was hanging into his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, honey. We didn't want to wake you up. Come on, let's go back to bed. I'll sing you to sleep if you want."

Kurt shook his head. He wanted to know why his Mom had been crying and why his Dad had run out of the house in the middle of the night. One of his friend's parents were divorced and she had told him that they had been fighting all the time before it happened.

"Are you and Dad getting divorced?”

Elisabeth honestly didn't know how to answer that question. She had told Burt to leave, but other than that they hadn't talked about what that would really mean and Burt had run out before they could talk some more. She decided to be honest. Kurt was mature for his age, even though he looked more like a six year old than a newly nine year old.

"I don't know, honey. You're dad and I don't like each other very much at the moment, so we're going to spend some time apart to figure everything out, okay."

"Is it because of me? Because I can try harder to like the things Dad wants me to like. I can give baseball another try or play with the toy cars he got me."

Before he could ramble on, Elisabeth quickly interrupted her son.

"Honey, no. This has nothing to do with you, all right? And I don't want you to pretend to like things you don't. You are just perfect the way you are, okay?"

"Okay. Can you sing me a song now? I'm tired."

Elisabeth was relived she didn't have to continue this conversation right now. She smiled at her son, took his hand and walked him back downstairs to his basement bedroom. Once he was all tucked in, she asked, "Now, what shall it be, kind sir," earning her a chuckle from Kurt.

"Can you sing _Castle on a Cloud_?"

"Of course, honey."

Kurt fell asleep before she had even finished the first verse. She didn't know what the next morning would bring, but at least her son was sleeping peacefully again. There was nothing more she could do that night, so she decided to go to bed as well and try to get at least some sleep.

_June 6, 2002_

Burt had been driving around aimlessly after his storm out. His first instinct had been to go back to the bar and get hammered, but he needed a clear head if he wanted to figure things out and crashing his car because he was drunk was the last thing he needed after the day he had. He knew he should just go home, beg his wife for forgiveness and be a better father and husband. A better man would have done just that. But twenty-nine year old Burt Hummel was not a better man. He was a proud man.

He had been quarterback in high school and played football in junior college until he had busted his knee. Shortly after, his girlfriend Liz had announced that she was pregnant and so Burt ditched his sport's career, got a job at a local garage and made Liz an honest woman. Back than, people had told him he was too young to get married and raise a child, but he had just scoffed at them. Now he was wondering if they hadn't been right. He was not cut out to be a father, at least not of a child as unique as Kurt.

Elisabeth had offered him a way out, to go after his dream, and because twenty-nine year old Burt Hummel was not a better man, he intended to take it.

It was close to five o'clock in the morning when Burt returned to his now former home. Quietly he went inside, got his suitcase from the spare room that had been Kurt's bedroom and was now used for storage and crept into his wife's bedroom. Careful not to wake his soon to be ex-wife, he opened the closet and slowly emptied his side of it. By seven o'clock he was all packed and ready to leave. For a moment he considered leaving without saying goodbye, but he just couldn't do that. He might be a bad father, but he was no deadbeat dad who ran out on his family in the middle of the night. He had to do the right thing here and face his family head on. He had just started the coffee machine when Elisabeth entered the kitchen.

"I see you're all packed. You didn't plan to just leave without saying anything to Kurt, did you? Because I explained as much as I could to him last night, but I'm sure he wants to at least have the chance to say a proper goodbye."

"Of course not. I would never do that to you."

Now was his chance to ask for forgiveness. But he didn't. Instead he just watched the coffee machine, avoiding eye contact with his wife.

"Where will you stay?" she asked after a few minutes had gone by and neither had spoken.

"I'm going to stay with my buddy from the tux rental place for a couple of days until everything is sorted out with my uncle."

"What about Kurt? Texas isn't just around the corner."

"You can have full custody." Elisabeth looked relieved. "And I'm going to send you money for him.” Elisabeth nodded. "And if it's okay with you I could come up and visit for like Christmas and stuff," Burt trailed of unsure what else to say. Luckily Elisabeth interrupted him.

"Of course you can. I don't want you out of Kurt's life completely. He needs to know his father does want to see him."

As if he could sense that his future was being discussed, Kurt entered the kitchen at that moment. For a moment he looked confused, but than he spotted the bags next to the kitchen counter.

"Are you leaving Dad?" he asked in a small voice.

Burt felt a pang when he looked at his way too small son, but he had made up his mind. This was for the best.

"Yeah buddy. You're great uncle Frank is getting pretty old and he needs some help in his shop, so I have offered to help him out a bit.”

His son wasn't stupid. He knew his dad wasn't just leaving for a while.

"Okay. Will you come visit us?" He sounded so small when he asked that Burt's heart nearly broke.

"I'll come visit all the time. I'm only a plane ride away. And maybe you can come visit me too. They have horses there, you know." Kurt frowned.

"I don't like horses. They stink and get your clothes dirty."

Burt sighed. Why had he even expected a different answer? The kitchen became quiet again. Burt filled some coffee into a travel mug and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, I better be off. I have a lot of things to take care of today."

With that he quickly ruffled his son's hair before he could complain, dropped a kiss onto Liz's cheek and grabbed his bags.

Before the remaining occupants of the kitchen had time to realize what was happening, they heard the front door close and the truck start up in the driveway. When Elisabeth looked over to her son, she saw that he was about to start crying. She quickly scoped him up into her arms and pressed him close.

"It's going to be okay," she murmured. "We're going to be alright. I promise you, honey."

 


	2. And then there were two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burt is absent, Elisabeth keeps trying and Kurt doesn't understand why his dad doesn't love him anymore.

**And then there were two**

_2002/2003_

_Lima, OH, August:_

"No Burt, I've already told you three times that Kurt doesn't want to come down to Texas to learn horse back riding. You should know by now that he doesn't like anything that involves dirt." Elisabeth was pacing the living room floor while she was on the phone with her now ex-husband.

They had filed for divorce soon after Burt had moved out and the paper work had gone through two weeks ago. For the last few weeks, Burt had tried to convince her to send Kurt to Texas, instead of the theater camp he wanted to go to.

"School is starting soon as well, so if you're actually interested in spending some time with your son and I don't mean pawning him off to some ranchers, you can come up here. Kurt's camp is going to put on a production on their last day."

"You know I can't come up to Ohio. I just got started at the shop here. And if I want to take it over any time soon, I can't just up and leave every time Kurt is in some silly show."

_I bet you'd come if it were a sports game_ , Elisabeth thought, though she didn't say it out loud. No need to get into another fight about Kurt's hobbies or lack thereof.

"Fine, can you at least give him a call when you find time in your busy schedule? And it would be nice if you could come up here some time before Thanksgiving. He misses you."

The line went quiet for a few seconds.

"I miss you guys too. I gotta go though. I call you when I know if I can come up anytime soon."

Elisabeth threw the phone onto the couch. She had honestly though things would be easier if Burt became an only-every-other-month-dad. But he still didn't even try to find time to spend it with his son.

_Austin, TX, November_

He really had planned to fly up to Lima to spend Thanksgiving with his ex-wife and his son. But the timing was just, let's say, not ideal at the moment. Burt had finally gotten his own shop, and much, much sooner than he thought he would.

Two weeks ago uncle Frank had had a heart attack, right in the very shop Burt Hummel was now the proud owner of. With the stress of the funeral and legal procedures involving the shop he was just swamped. Telling Liz he wouldn't be able to make it, was not going to be fun though. Man up Hummel, he told himself.

He sat down in his new office and picked up the phone. A high voice greeted him.

"Hey there buddy. Is your mom home?" he asked his son.

"Mom's at work. She got a new job as a choir teacher," Kurt proclaimed proudly over the phone.

"And she left you home alone?"

"I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself. Even when you were still home I was alone a lot because you were working too much."

Wow, Burt didn't know that nine year olds could sound so accusatory.

"Right, of course you can take care of yourself. Now listen buddy, the reason I called is that I can't make it to Thanksgiving. Uncle Frank just passed away and I have to take care of things here. But I promise to come up for Christmas. Can you tell your mom that?"

"You promise?" The voice sounded tiny again.

"I promise."

_Lima, OH, December_

Christmas that year was strange. Burt had stuck to his word and had flown up the week before Christmas. To keep things from getting weird he had decided to stay with one of his buddies again. He took Kurt sleighing even though he knew his son wasn't a fan, but at least this time they were both trying.

Later that night, Liz reminded him that Kurt was a child and shouldn't have to try. Their job as parents was to love their child just the way he was instead of trying to change him. Not wanting to get into a fight so close to Christmas Eve, he took Kurt to some weird ice revue thingy. Burt had to admit, seeing his son light up with glee as he watched men and women in tight costumes dance on ice, put a smile on his face too.

After the initial awkward start, they quickly fell into a routine, with Burt spending time with Kurt while Liz was at work. Mostly he let the kid do what he wanted to do and stayed out of the way. Christmas Day, they opened presents in the living room and Kurt was quick to hide his frown as he got yet another toy car – a replica of Burt's first car. Liz glared at him, but otherwise the Christmas holidays went by without any big incidents.

When it was time to say goodbye, Kurt threw himself into Burt's arms and told him he was going to miss him. Burt, never one to really be affectionate with people awkwardly patted his son's back and made his way back to Texas.

_Austin, TX, February_

"And the teachers won't do anything. I mean there's this kid who pushes Kurt off the swings pretty much everyday in recess and all I get is boys will be boys," Liz was complaining over the phone. "Maybe next time you're up here you can talk to the school."

"I don't think the principal’s wrong. Kurt's gotta learn to fight back. Otherwise, the kids will just continue to make fun of him."

Burt didn't see what the big deal was. Boys were always roughhousing on playgrounds. He and his friends hadn't been any different. Not in middle school, not in high school. You always went for the people who wouldn't fight back to assert your own status. He just didn't want his own son to be one of the weak ones. Kurt was already different. At least he could fight back and show them what Hummel men were like. Elisabeth interrupted his train of thoughts.

"He shouldn't have to learn how to fight. School should be a safe place for all children and parents like you are the reason why kids like the ones who push Kurt around thinks it's okay to do that to classmates. If you're not going to help, I'll let you get back to your cars."

"I’ll talk to Kurt."

"With that attitude, I'd rather you don't. He already has enough people in his life who put him down, he doesn't need his father to do the same thing."

_Lima, OH, May_

Kurt came bouncing into the kitchen where Elisabeth was baking a cake for his birthday party. She smiled at him. It was rare to see her son that happy and he was only turning ten.

"Is dad here yet? Mercedes and I learned a new song and I want to show him when he gets here. It's really awesome. We even made costumes to go with it."

"That's great honey. Your dad is outside manning the grill with Paul."

Kurt frowned. Paul was his mom's new friend, but it was like he wanted to be Kurt's friend too. He always brought him gifts. Games for the Gameboy his dad had gotten him during his last visit. His friend Mercedes always said that the good thing about having divorced parents was getting a lot of gifts, but Kurt couldn't see what was so good about that. He never got gifts he actually wanted.

"Why don't you go outside and show your dad your song," Elisabeth encouraged, trying to distract herself from the fact that her current boyfriend was talking to her ex.

Kurt ran downstairs to his room and put on the costume he had made with Mercedes, then skipped back upstairs excited to show his dad what he had learned.

When he was done both man clapped politely and his dad ruffled his hair. Kurt huffed. His performance should have warranted a standing ovation, not just some polite clapping. He was about to go back inside when he heard his name. Mom's new friend was talking about him. He didn't know what most of the words meant but they didn't sound nice. And his dad just stood there and didn't even defend him. Before he could stop it, tears were streaming down his face and he ran into the kitchen, throwing himself into his mom's arms.

"Honey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Elisabeth asked the crying boy in her arms.

 What could have happened to Kurt? Judging from his outfit he had just been outside, giving a performance. Elisabeth loved Kurt's performances. Her child was talented and so she fully supported his tap dance and voice lessons.

"Mom, what's a fag?" Kurt asked in a small voice once he had calmed down a little.

Elisabeth was shocked. Kurt hadn't even started middle school and kids were already calling him names?

"Where did you hear that word, honey?" she asked anxiously.

"You're friend Paul told Dad, that if he didn't watch out I would become one of those fags. And it didn't sound nice when he said it. And Dad said there wasn't much that he could do because I was living with you and you make me soft. I like living with you. Please don't send me away. Please." Kurt was crying again, clinging to Elisabeth.

She caught Paul's eyes who was frowning at the display.

 "Kurt why don't you go downstairs and prepare a little show for me while I go talk to your dad. And Kurt, that wasn't a nice word and I don't want you to ever call someone that. Do you understand?"

Kurt nodded and ran out of the room.

Elisabeth took a deep breath. She knew Kurt was different and she had her suspicions. But he was still a child and deserved a safe environment and it was her job as a mother to provide it. She squared her shoulders and marched outside to the grill. After calmly telling Paul to leave and not come back, she turned to Burt.

"What the hell is wrong with you? This is Kurt's home. He’s supposed to feel safe here, especially after all the crap he goes through at school and you say things like that in front of him!"

If it hadn't been for the neighbors, Elisabeth would have shouted. How dare her ex say stuff like that about his own son? He was supposed to love him, unconditionally.

"Liz, calm down. I'm sorry that Kurt heard, but if you keep encouraging his behavior his going to hear it a lot more in the future. If you wouldn't cater to his every whim, letting him do all that girly stuff we wouldn't have this problem."

"Kurt is not the problem. I'm not the problem. The problem are bigoted people like you, who can't even accept their own children. Kurt's ten for Christ's sake. Who knows if he's gay or not? It shouldn't matter. At least not to us. And if you can't deal with it, I don't want you coming back until you find a way to keep your bigotry to yourself and behave like a father."

She didn't give him a chance to defend himself, and went downstairs to watch one of Kurt's shows. Kurt was special, and one day, she was sure, everyone would be able to see that. Later when she went back upstairs, both Paul and Burt were gone.

 


	3. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kurt makes a new friend, Elisabeth struggles to protect her son. Unsurprisingly, Burt isn't much help and generally makes things worse.

**Growing pains**

_2003/2004, Lima, OH, Kurt aged 10_

After Elisabeth kicked Burt out, there was no contact between Kurt and Burt. Because she didn't want to worry her son she kept telling him occasionally that Burt had called and was sorry that he had missed him. When Kurt tried to call Burt back, Elisabeth made sure it was at a time when she knew that Burt was out. Burt hadn't tried to contact her since after Kurt's disastrous tenth birthday and so she assumed that Burt hadn't come around yet.

During the summer she sent Kurt back to drama camp and told her son that his father understood why he couldn't come to Texas. Kurt didn't question her and was relieved he wasn't being sent to a ranch where all his clothes would get dirty.

In late August, school started again. Kurt was now one of the oldest kids, but he was still small, so even the younger kids pushed him around. When Elisabeth complained to the school again, the teachers ignored her complaints.

By mid October she was fed up with the school and when the music teacher had to go on maternity leave, Elisabeth applied for her job. Once she started she managed to keep an eye on Kurt, and after a while the kids stopped harassing him, because they were afraid of the repercussions of getting caught by a teacher who actually cared.

Elisabeth was happy for Kurt, but she also knew that this was just a temporary solution. After all, she couldn't just follow her son from school to school until he graduated. Sometimes she really wished that Burt were here with her, supporting his son instead of wanting to change him.

When Thanksgiving approached Kurt started inquiring about his dad's absence. Elisabeth decided that another lie wouldn't make things worse. After all, she was just trying to protect her son from his probably homophobic dad. She explained that they didn't want to worry him, but his dad's shop wasn't doing so well and therefore flying out would be too expensive at the moment. She did, however, promise a Christmas visit.

When Christmas came around, a letter arrived for Kurt containing $50. Burt wrote he was sorry for not being able to come up, but he had to take care of family business down south. Kurt was confused. He had thought he and his mom were family.

The next months flew by. Kurt spent a lot of time with Mercedes and they regularly put on shows for his mom. When May – and Kurt's birthday –approached, Kurt noticed the increased frequency of phone calls between his mom and dad. He'd briefly spoken to his dad as well a couple of times but he had no idea what they could be discussing.

Kurt found out on his eleventh birthday. His mom woke him up with a smile on her face. She announced that his dad was waiting upstairs and that they would drive to King's Island after breakfast. It had been nearly a year since Kurt had last seen his dad, so he was ecstatic. When he finally saw his father again, Burt awkwardly pat his shoulder while Elisabeth glared at him.

During their phone calls, they had agreed on a trip to the amusement park because they figured not much could go wrong there. It had also been about time that Kurt, who really missed his dad, got to see Burt again. They spent the day riding the few roller coasters Kurt was actually tall enough for, ate junk food and tried to focus on neutral topics in their conversations.

Instead of toys, Burt, again, handed Kurt some money, so he could buy something he liked. Kurt was pretty sure that had been his mom's idea. Not that he was complaining. He'd been eyeing a certain sweater for some time now. When Burt left this time, no one was in tears. Elisabeth hoped it meant Burt was finally coming around.

_2004/2005, Lima, OH, Kurt aged 11_

In July, like the last two summers, Kurt went to drama camp. When he came back he was ecstatic because he had made a new friend there, who would be attending the same middle school with him come fall. The girl's name was Rachel Berry and she was, according to Kurt, nearly as talented as him.

Because Mercedes was away visiting relatives, Kurt spent most of the rest of the summer with his new friend, which led to Elisabeth meeting Rachel's parents. She was surprised to find out that the loud girl with the interesting sweaters had two fathers. While their kids played together, Elisabeth started talking to the Berrys about Kurt and her ex-husband. Even though they couldn't offer much advice apart from to give it time, she was glad to have someone to talk to and that Kurt got a chance to see that she didn't have a problem with homosexuals – just in case Kurt turned out to be gay.

In August, Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt started at East Lima Middle School. For the first time, Kurt actually had friends when starting at a new school. Elisabeth was still working at Kurt's old school and therefore, she wasn't sure how Kurt was doing at his new school, but most of the time he came home with a smile on his face instead of close to tears. Also, after Kurt's birthday, Burt and Kurt had started talking on the phone again. Elisabeth didn't know what they were talking about but Kurt never looked upset so she didn't feel the need to interfere.

Burt again excused himself for Thanksgiving, but promised a Christmas visit. In early December Burt phoned with surprising news. His parents had requested that the family spend the holidays with them in Kentucky since they hadn't seen Kurt since his ninth birthday.

Burt's parents were very conservative and hadn't been happy when they had heard about the divorce. Once the divorce had been finalized, Elisabeth hadn't really tried to stay in touch with them, because they had never liked her very much to begin with.

When Burt's parents had learned about the pregnancy they had insisted that Burt marry her, even though neither had felt ready for marriage at the time. Nevertheless, Elisabeth had agreed. Her own parents had passed away when she was still quite young and she didn't want to deprive Kurt of the grandparents he still had.

The first few days of the visit went by without any incidents. Kurt's grandma fawned over him, but Elisabeth noticed the looks Burt's father threw Kurt's way and she didn't like it one bit. She pushed it to the back of her mind though and tried to enjoy the visit as much as she could.

She also didn't think anything about it when she caught the grandparents in a heated discussion on the fourth night of their stay. Burt was standing close by looking uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact with her.

The next morning it was announced that the whole family would go to church together. Although Burt had been raised by religious parents, he and Elisabeth had never really gone to church when they were married. Even though it wasn't her cup of tea, she agreed to keep the peace in the Hummel home.

Elisabeth didn't stay calm for long. Five minutes into the sermon, the pastor announced its topic. ‘The dangers homosexuality posed to society and to society's children.’ Kurt was confused when his mother pulled him out of the church mid sermon. They packed their bags and left before anyone could stop them.

When Kurt asked about their abrupt departure, she told him what all parents tell their children – she would explain when he was older.

During the next few months there was, again, barely any contact between Lima and Austin. The few times Burt actually managed to get Elisabeth on the phone, he tried to convince her that he had nothing to do with what had happened over Christmas but to no avail. Elisabeth refused the let Burt talk to his son. Burt kept calling however, and because she knew Kurt was miserable without his dad in his life, she agreed to another trip to King's Island for Kurt's twelfth birthday.

Like the year before, the trip was uneventful, although Kurt noticed that his parents were barely civil with each other. That night when Kurt was tucked in and asleep in his bedroom, Burt and Elisabeth retired to the living room for a cup of coffee before Burt's departure. Later on, Elisabeth blamed it on stress and lack of sleep when she confided to Burt the reason for the King's Island trip.

She had been afraid to throw a birthday party for Kurt because she knew that Rachel and Mercedes would probably be the only ones willing to come. Burt frowned and made the mistake to remind her that Kurt would have a lot more friends – male friends – if Elisabeth would just sign him up for soccer or baseball. No wonder the boy didn't have any friends if all he did was sing and dance around.

Elisabeth was more disappointed than furious that Burt was still trying to force his son into things, said son clearly was not interested in. She reminded him as politely as possible that he would have to leave now if he wanted to open the shop in Austin in the morning.

_2005/2006, Lima, OH, Kurt aged 12_

It was two month after Kurt's birthday, when Burt called to inform Elisabeth and Kurt that he had started dating a woman with a son Kurt's age. Kurt was quiet and withdrawn after the announcement and Elisabeth suspected that he was just not ready to see his father with a new woman.

Elisabeth discovered the truth a few weeks later. As she was tiding up Kurt's room, she came across his diary. She didn't mean to snoop, and it was definitely not her fault that it fell down onto the floor and opened to the most recent page.

Kurt apparently had no problem with his dad dating, he was however convinced that his dad didn't visit anymore because he liked his new son better. Elisabeth could understand his fear. All Burt ever talked about in their phone calls was how amazing it was to play baseball with Finn, watch a football game with Finn or to teach Finn how to work on cars. Basically the boy liked all the things Burt did, and Kurt didn't. She wanted to help Kurt, but she didn't know how to approach the issue without admitting that she had read his diary.

Instead of talking to Kurt, she phoned Burt and asked him to tone down the Finn talk when talking to Kurt. The next time Kurt got off the phone with Burt he was smiling. Maybe there was hope after all.

On Black Friday, Elisabeth took Kurt shopping. Burt had again opted out of spending Thanksgiving with them, so it was up to her to get up at the brink of dawn to take her pre-pubescent son to the mall. While Elisabeth was eyeing a dress in one of the stores she noticed Kurt eyeing another boy being reluctantly dragged around by his mother.

Elisabeth knew another talk with the Berrys was in order. But for now she decided to just ignore the issue and left Kurt to ogling the other boy.

They celebrated another Christmas without Burt, but Kurt was happy about the check he got from his dad. It seemed that when it came to Kurt's newfound obsession with clothes, money could by love. The two Hummels attended a New Years Party hosted by the Berrys. While Kurt, Rachel and Mercedes jumped and danced around like crazy, Elisabeth talked to Rachel's fathers about the new development.

The Berrys didn't act very surprised, but urged her not to force the issue and let Kurt come to her when he was ready. Because they were well aware of the situation with Kurt's father, they also advised her not to mention it to Burt. If Burt were truly homophobic, this would only lead to Kurt losing his father rather sooner than the inevitable later.

It was March when Elisabeth overheard Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt at their newly instated monthly sleepover. They were talking about fathers and the relationships they had with them. Kurt was clearly asking Mercedes, who's parents were divorced as well, for advice. When she listened to them talk, she realized that Kurt had really grown up over the past couple of month. He didn't sound like a little boy with no care in the world anymore.

       When she listened to Mercedes explain her relationship with her dad, she could clearly see Kurt's heart break. While Mercedes explained how her father showered her with affection and tried to spend as much time with her as possible even though he lived in another state, Kurt's frown deepened more and more. By the time Rachel butted in and told them how wonderful her two fathers were, Elisabeth quickly walked into the room and distracted them by asking if they wanted to make their own pizzas for their sleep over.

       Kurt's thirteenth birthday was the first Burt didn't attend since Kurt was nine. Kurt put on a brave face and told his mom what he intended to buy with the money his father had sent for his birthday. Later that night she heard him crying in his bedroom. Her heart broke a little bit more as she listened to his sobs. She just wished there was something she could do.

_2006/2007, Lima, OH, Kurt aged 13_

     At the start of seventh grade, Kurt's outfits became more daring, setting him more and more apart from the other students. Kurt didn't say anything, but Elisabeth could see it in his eyes that the other kids didn't take it too well. She also didn't have the heart to tell him to tone it down – she wanted Kurt to be able to express himself, but she was still afraid of the possible repercussions.

     Two weeks into the new school year, Elisabeth found Kurt crying in his room. Someone had spray painted the word fag across his locker. Under tears he asked her if his dad didn't visit anymore because he also thought that his son was a fag. Elisabeth denied it and tried to assure Kurt that his dad loved him very much and was just busy in Austin, but she could see that he didn't believe her.

She got proof, when he started refusing to talk to his dad with the excuse that now he was too busy. Elisabeth didn't want to upset the fragile father-son relationship even more and kept Kurt's reasons to herself.

     In October the school got a new principal and for a while it seemed like things were looking up for Kurt. He was smiling more and didn't lock himself in his room for hours on end, with musical soundtracks blasting from the speakers.

Instead of a Christmas visit from his dad, Kurt got an invitation to Burt and Carole's wedding in the spring. Elisabeth told Kurt that he didn't have to attend, but to sleep on it before making a decision. In the end, the decision was taken out of Kurt's hand. Elisabeth got a frantic phone call from the school nurse, who told her that her son was on the way to the ER with a suspected broken leg.

Kurt initially insisted he was clumsy and fell down the stairs, but after an intense staring match between the two Hummels, Kurt admitted that two older students had pushed him. When Elisabeth marched into the school the next day to yell at the principal, the principal was sympathetic and concerned about Kurt's wellbeing, but told Elisabeth her hands were tied unless witnesses came forward.

That night Elisabeth phoned Burt to tell him that Kurt couldn't make it to the wedding because of a broken leg. Burt, at first, accused her of lying and said that if Kurt didn't want to come, he should have just said so. Kurt, in return, emailed his dad a picture of his leg in the cast, and told him he broke his leg trying to skateboard to impress some friends.

The incident at school had scared Kurt and even though he was slowly coming to terms with his sexuality, he decided that it was safer to stay in the closet. To avoid conflict with his – as he realized – very possibly homophobic father, he also told him that he was going away with friends for his birthday and that therefore was no need for Burt to come up for it.

Elisabeth could only stand by and watch as the father-son relationship crumbled further.

 


	4. Visiting Narnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High School sucks.

**Visiting Narnia**

_2007/ 2008, Kurt, aged 14_

Kurt knew who he was, but decided to stay in the closet because he was scared of the bullies at school, even though he was now, once again, one of the oldest kids. He had debated telling his mother because of her friendship with Rachel's parents, but in the end he hadn't been sure enough that she would still be so open-minded if it concerned her own son.

Telling either Rachel or Mercedes was also out of the question, because the two couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it. In addition to that, Mercedes had been acting weird around him lately. She was always looking at him and when he caught her staring, she was always quick to look away and blushed.

He got his explanation for her strange behavior when she invited him to a youth dance – as her date. Kurt panicked and told her that even though he was flattered, he was actually into someone else. Because he couldn't just tell her that the one he had his eye on was Tom Miller, a boy on the track team, he said the first girl's name that came to mind. Rachel.

Rachel, who knew that Mercedes was crushing on Kurt, but suspected that Kurt was gay – she did have two gay dads after all - tried to discourage Mercedes from going after Kurt, to save her from heartbreak. Unfortunately, Mercedes interpreted this as jealousy. When Kurt, however, said he was into Rachel, she was deeply hurt and a fight between the three of them broke out in the middle of the hallway between second and third period.

For a while Mercedes refused to talk to either Kurt or Rachel, but ironically it was the fight that got the bullies of Kurt's back for a while. Apparently having two girls fight over you will do that. The fight escalated when Mercedes set Kurt's favorite scarf on fire. Kurt didn't want to lose his only two friends and came out to both of them before things could get even worse. Mercedes got her heart broken, but apologized for the ruined scarf and both girls promised to keep his secret. Rachel also agreed to become Kurt's fake girlfriend to keep the bullying to a minimum. Mercedes, at first, was disappointed that Kurt hadn't asked her to be the girlfriend, but he explained that it wouldn't be fair to her because of her feelings for him. If she would play his girlfriend, he would always feel as if he were stringing her along, knowing nothing really could ever come of it. In the end, she agreed that it wouldn't have been a very good idea.

Rachel and Kurt “stayed together” for the rest of the school year and his situation at school drastically improved. Elisabeth was certain that the relationship wasn't real but didn't call him out on it. Whenever they went shopping, and she knew it was only happening because Kurt still needed someone to drive him around, she still saw him looking at boys and therefore, she tried to tell him as subtle as possible that she would have absolutely no problem if he liked boys instead of girls, or possibly both.

Hummelberry, as Mercedes had dubbed them, broke up on the last day of Middle School, so Rachel would be free to pursue boys once they started High School in the fall.

On Kurt's fifteenth birthday, Burt and Kurt shared a lengthy phone conversation in which Burt went on and on about his new stepson Finn. Kurt was extremely jealous because even though he had tried really hard to be the son Burt wanted – at least when dealing with his father - his father still liked his new son better.

After talking to his new wife, who had conveniently overheard his conversation and accused him of neglecting his biological son, Burt called back two days later and promised Kurt a car, once he got his drivers license.

The Hummels spent a lot of time with the Berrys that summer and after observing how his mom acted around Rachel's dads, Kurt finally found the courage to come out to his mom two weeks before the start of his freshman year of high school. His mom hugged him and told him, she already knew, because when he was younger, he was always trying to walk around in her high heels. Kurt was relieved, but asked his mom not to tell his father. Elisabeth promised and hugged Kurt some more. Her baby was not a baby anymore.

_2008/2009, Kurt aged 15_

In the fall of 2008, Mercedes, Rachel and Kurt started their freshman year at William McKinley High School. Kurt was still in the closet at school but his fashion choices got bolder and bolder. Elisabeth put her foot down once, when he tried to go to school in a corset.

The bullies at the new school were bigger and more dangerous and after he was tossed into a dumpster for the second time and took a gas station iced soda to the face for the fifth time, Kurt really wished he could have his fake girlfriend back. But he had promised Rachel to set her free and even though Mercedes seemed to be over him, he didn't want to open that particular can of worms again.

Kurt and Burt started talking regularly again, but Burt mostly talked about Finn who had just joined the football team and his sweet cheerleader girlfriend, which Kurt was sure meant that she was a bitch, and so he told his dad that he had a girlfriend as well, because he wanted to be able to compete with Finn, who apparently liked all the things his dad liked, and looked more like Burt's biological son than Kurt ever had. As proof he emailed a picture Mercedes had taken of him and Rachel the previous year.

To escape the bullying at school, Kurt publicly asked out the dizzy cheerleader sitting next to him in his history class. To his surprise the girl, who always wore her long blond hair in a ponytail, agreed because it was her goal to make out with every guy in school. Kurt had never imagined that his first kiss would be with a girl, but if it would keep him from getting drinks thrown in his face or worse, he would be able to endure it. He convinced Brittany to kiss him somewhere where everyone could see them – after all, if she wanted to reach her goal she needed witnesses to make it count.

Surrounded by jocks and cheerleaders, Kurt received his first kiss. Brittany's lips were soft and tasted like strawberry lip gloss and Kurt figured that his first kiss could have gone a lot worse, especially if it meant a bully free high school experience. Brittany, for only being a freshman, already had quite the reputation, and so Kurt just hoped that he could date her for a while before she wanted more from him.

In the end, Kurt didn't have to worry about Brittany trying to get with him. An older jock – Dave Karofsky, Kurt later learnt, overheard Mercedes, Kurt and Rachel rating the hotness of the male Harry Potter cast and outed Kurt to the whole school.

Brittany, instead of being mad that she had been used, just hugged him and told him she hoped he would find another dolphin soon. What Kurt had learnt in his brief relationship with the girl, was to never question her if you wanted to keep your sanity. Unfortunately, the rest of the school didn't take too kindly to Karofsky's revelation.

Kurt got iced drinks thrown in his face at least once every day and the jocks used every opportunity they got to push Kurt into the lockers. Mercedes and Rachel had to watch their friend being tormented, but when they complained to principal Figgins, he told them he had bigger problems than the complaints of a single student.

To cheer Kurt up, the trio joined the school's derelict show choir, led by a creepy looking teacher named Sandy Ryerson, who spent more time hitting on the older male students than teaching music. Being in choir let Kurt do what he liked doing the most, but it most certainly didn't help with his reputation at school. Even though Karofsky had become his chief tormentor at school, other jocks, most notably Noah Puckerman and Azizmo Adams used every chance they got to throw him into dumpsters.

Kurt tried to stay strong and put on a brave face at home, but he reached his breaking point when Karofsky cornered him one day after school in the locker room. Kurt had it made a habit to always stay late after P.E. to avoid having to change with the rest of the boys and by the time he was done, everyone else was already gone. When Karofsky came in, blocking the exit, Kurt was sure he was in for the beating he'd escaped so far.

Later, when he was finally home in the safety of his bedroom crying his eyes out, he wished Karofsky had beaten him up. Instead of hitting him, the large bully had roughly grabbed his face and had forced his ugly lips onto his. Kurt had frozen in shock and only when Karofsky had tried for a second kiss, Kurt had regained his motor functions and had pushed the bully away. Instead of waiting for the school bus, Kurt had run the 2.5 miles back to his house and had locked himself into his bedroom before his mom could see him. The next day, Kurt managed to convince his mom that he was sick and was allowed to stay home from school. It was at least already Friday, which meant he wouldn't have to go back for another three days.

Kurt spent the rest of the weekend hiding in his bedroom blasting Wicked and Rent through the speakers. When he returned to school on Monday, he made sure to always stay close to Rachel and Mercedes. Only two more months was Kurt's constant mantra after he returned to school.

Karofsky kept up his harassment and shot Kurt dirty looks whenever he thought no one was watching. Kurt got more and more scared every day and dreaded having to go to school which resulted in him skipping classes he had close to where Karofsky had his, when he thought he could get away with it. His friends, of course, noticed that there was something wrong with him, but Kurt refused to tell because he was afraid of what Karofsky might do if it came out.

Three weeks before school ended, Karofsky cornered Kurt again. Kurt put up a brave front, but inside he was shaking. Nevertheless, he tried to talk to the bully about his feelings. Karofsky refused to acknowledge what Kurt was saying and blamed Kurt's girly voice and girly clothes for the locker room kiss, which Karofsky denied was instigated by him. When Kurt didn't back down, Karofsky threatened to kill him if he told anyone his lies.

Rachel, who had followed Kurt out of concern for the safety of her favorite duet partner and only real competition, comforted Kurt after Karofsky was gone, and tried to convince him to tell someone about the death threat and assault. Kurt refused because he didn't want to out Karofsky, even though Karofsky had been the one who had outed Kurt, and because he was afraid that the closeted bully might make good on his threat.

When Kurt came home that day, his mom was waiting for him in the living room. She confronted him with the Karofsky situation and promised that she would do everything in her power to make things better for him. Kurt was furious at first, because Rachel had betrayed his trust, but forgave her nevertheless after letting her stew for a couple of days.

     Later that night, the Berrys visited Elisabeth, and gave her information about a private school with a zero tolerance bullying policy; Dalton Academy on the outskirts of Columbus, two hours from their home in Lima. Elisabeth didn't really want her son to move away, but in the end she had to do what was best for him. With the Berrys help, she managed to get an academic scholarship for Kurt for the following school year.

After another unsuccessful complaint to principal Figgins, Elisabeth took Kurt out of school early to protect him from Karofsky whose actions had again gone unpunished. Kurt, initially, didn't want to leave his only two friends, but they all agreed that a new school was unfortunately the only solution.

On Kurt's sixteenth birthday, a car was delivered to the Hummel's driveway with a card saying – "Something to impress the ladies with." Elisabeth called Burt to thank him on Kurt's behalf, who was pissed because of the note, pointedly avoiding mentioning the card herself. She told him about Kurt's transfer to a private school, because Kurt’s old public school was a joke. Burt told her he didn't have a problem with Kurt attending a more academically challenging school, but voiced his concern about the all boys part. He was worried that Kurt attending an all boys school might undo all the progress Kurt had made recently behaving like a normal boy. As it had become the norm with many of their phone calls concerning Kurt, Elisabeth promptly hung up the phone.

 


	5. Teenage Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You win some, you lose some. Kurt thought he'd already learnt this lesson when his dad left them, but apparently fate really was a cruel mistress.

**Teenage Dream**

_2009/2010, Kurt aged 16_

At the end of the summer, Kurt started his sophomore year of high school at Dalton Academy for Boys in Columbus. Because the school was a long drive from Lima, Kurt had to board at his new school. Kurt and Elisabeth were both sad, but Kurt promised to come home every weekend to spend time with his mother and his friends who were still attending McKinley. For the first time in his life, Kurt had to share a room, but luckily the rooms at Dalton weren't exactly small. His roommate was a shy guy, who spent most of his time with his nose buried in books and thankfully had no problem with the fact that Kurt was gay – something that Kurt was not willing to hide anymore. Even if Dalton turned out to not be as perfect as it seemed on paper, Kurt did not intend to tip toe back into the closet, just because in the past, people had bullied him because of it.

     The first few weeks at Dalton were hard. The curriculum was a lot more demanding than McKinley's and Kurt had a hard time catching up, even though the school year had just started. He spent most days in the library working on essays and reading assignments to keep up his grades because of his academic scholarship. It was also quite lonely at Dalton. He missed his two best girls. The kids were a lot kinder at Dalton, they smiled at him and talked to him in group projects, but they didn't exactly go out of their way to befriend him.

It all changed when an older student overheard him singing in one of the common rooms. He introduced himself as Wes Montgomery, head of the Warbler's council. Kurt was confused at first, because he hadn't heard about the school's a capella group yet and therefore didn't understand why this Wes guy thought he might be interested in joining a bird group.

Wes seemed surprised; after all, as he explained, the members of the Warblers were like rock stars at Dalton. He told Kurt that it was an honor to be invited to audition for the group and that being a member of the Warblers would guarantee him instant popularity at school. Kurt agreed to audition because after his school experiences, being part of the popular crowd sounded like a dream come true.

That night Kurt called up Mercedes and Rachel to discuss his audition song. It was Rachel's egoistic behavior that gave him an idea for his song. While Rachel went on and on about the songs she would audition with, and recounting her audition for McKinley's newly formed show choir, Kurt tuned her out for a bit, only to tune back in when she was talking about how perfect Defying Gravity from Wicked would be for her and how it was such a shame he was a boy and couldn't audition with it. Kurt thanked the two girls for their input and hung up the phone before searching the Internet for sheet music. He had found his song. Now he just had to wait and see if Dalton was really that accepting.

Kurt's audition went off without a hitch and he was welcomed into the Warblers. Wes smiled at him like the cat that got the cream, while another boy at the council's table – David Thompson – told Kurt about the history of countertenors at Dalton. After Warbler's practice was over, Kurt rushed back to his room to call his mom and told her all about his audition. Elisabeth was proud of her son and told him she couldn't wait to come see him perform. She also questioned him about the boys he went to school with – a weekly occurrence by now - but Kurt informed her that no one had caught his eye yet.

It was three days later, when Warblers Hall erupted in cheers. Kurt was seated in the back and couldn't really make out who everyone was welcoming, but once the new boy stepped fully into the room and Kurt got a good look at him, his heart stopped for a second. Because the guy was cute. Definitely cute. Mercedes would probably have called him smoking. He was a little taller than Kurt, had gelled back black hair, tanned skin and looked way too confident to be a sophomore like Kurt. The one thing Kurt had been complaining about Dalton were the uniforms, but on the new boy – Blaine - the shouting of the other boys informed him, he didn't mind it at all.

Once everyone had calmed down a bit and Wes had explained to Kurt that Blaine was sort of their lead soloist, even though he was only a junior member, Kurt finally got a chance to introduce himself to new guy, even though technically he was the new guy. New guy, Blaine, Kurt reminded himself, immediately asked Kurt all kinds of questions about his transfer, his range, his hobbies and so many more that Kurt could barely follow, so that when rehearsal was over, Kurt not only had no clue what they had been practicing, but he also felt like he had just made a new friend. A good-looking, male friend, who was either very touchy-feely with everyone he encountered or was actually flirting with him. Kurt suspected the first.

He relayed his dilemma to Rachel and Mercedes during their weekly phone call. Mercedes advised him to just ask Blaine if he had a girlfriend, but Rachel offered to just come up to Dalton and hit on Blaine to see if he was into girls or not. Mercedes was appalled Rachel would suggest that and this was how Kurt found out that apparently Rachel had been out on a few dates with a boy from a rival – her words – show choir.

In the end, there was no need for sneak tactics. When Kurt opened up to Blaine about the reason behind his transfer, Blaine told him that he had been in a similar situation in Middle School, but had used his parents' need for appearing all high and mighty and better than anyone else to get them to transfer him to a private school after Middle School. Kurt only ever talked about his mom, but it seemed to Kurt like Blaine's parents were a lot like his own father, and therefore he understood why Blaine wasn't out at home.

After their talk they started going out for coffee regularly, sometimes alone, sometimes with their Dalton friends and sometimes with Rachel and Mercedes, who had both insisted on meeting Blaine. From the girls Kurt heard all about what was going on at his old school; his former bully who had gotten the head-cheerleader pregnant and had joined the new show choir with her after their popularity dropped, the shy Goth girl who was dating a football player, who was also a phenomenal dancer, Kurt's ex-girlfriend – at that Blaine shot Kurt a questioning look – who was rumored, at least in choir to be more than just friendly with her best friend, another cheerleader, and Mercedes's attempts to get the new guy, Sam, to go out with her.

After every outing with Blaine and the girls, the girls tried to convince Kurt, that Blaine was flirting with him, but Kurt always brushed it off, because he couldn't believe that one of the most popular guys in school could ever be interested in him.

During Thanksgiving break, which Burt again didn't attend – and Kurt got it, his father's new family was just more important than the son who continuously had to send his father pictures of him and his fake girlfriend, as to not completely ruin their relationship - the girls and Kurt had another one of their monthly sleepovers. Between pedicures, and analyzing Mercedes' first date with Sam, the girls encouraged Kurt to just ask out Blaine, instead of waiting for the other boy the make the first move. Mercedes told him that if it worked for her, it would certainly work for the fabulous Kurt Hummel. They also told him to envision the worst-case scenario. Blaine's not interested. Things might be awkward for a while. Kurt gets his heartbroken but in the end they move past it and are the best friends they are now. Mercedes again reminded him that she and Kurt were the best example for this scenario.

So, on the first day back at school after break, Kurt squares his shoulders, told Blaine he needed to talk to him in private and then proceeded to invite Blaine to a community theater production of Grease in Columbus. Blaine blushingly accepted, and confessed that he'd been wanting to ask Kurt out for ages, but had been afraid that Kurt could never be interested in being more than just friends.

After their first date, Blaine drove back to Dalton, where he also stayed most weekends to avoid his parents and Kurt drove home to Lima. Before he left he leaned in and tried to kiss Blaine, but Blaine pulled back and then told Kurt, it wasn't because he didn't want to kiss him, but that he had never kissed a boy before. Kurt was surprised and then told him about Karofsky's kiss, because he thought it would only be fair for Blaine to know about his past as well. Blaine however disagreed and assured him it didn't count because Kurt hadn't wanted that kiss. He told him he had kissed a few girls in the past, which he thought didn't count either, and Kurt, in return, told him about his very public first kiss with Brittany, which for Kurt definitely counted even if he would have preferred to have his first kiss with Blaine. They both agreed to take things slow, because they didn't really know what they were doing, having never been in a real relationship before, before they hugged and drove home.

***

Christmas turned Dalton into a winter wonderland. Christmas trees were found in the common rooms and dorm buildings and mistletoes decorated doorways, even though there were only a few couples in the all boys school.

The day before Christmas break found Kurt and Blaine in one of the common rooms practicing a song for Dalton's Winter Spectacular the Warblers put on every year to receive donations from parents and alumni. Blaine had succeeded in convincing the council to let him sing a duet with Kurt and the new couple had agreed on "Baby it's cold outside" because it complemented both of their voices.

They hadn't approached the kissing topic since their first date two weeks ago, and so Kurt was in for a surprise when, after the line "gosh your lips look delicious" Blaine swooped in and quickly pressed his lips to Kurt's in a chaste kiss. Kurt nearly missed his cue for his next line after the brief kiss, but kept smiling brightly throughout the rest of the song. Kurt later "retaliated" by pulling Blaine underneath the mistletoe under the front entrance and gave them both the first kiss that counted they deserved. No one was watching this time, but Kurt didn't mind, because for the first time, he was not in a relationship to proof something to others, but because he finally found someone who liked him just the way he was.

Burt had sent Kurt another check for Christmas, and at first it looked like it was just going to be the two Hummels again, but when Blaine accidentally let it slip that his parents were out of the country and he would be celebrating Christmas on his own, Elisabeth invited Blaine over to their house for a Christmas eve dinner. Her motivations weren't truly altruistic, because what kind of mother would she be if she didn't at least try to interrogate the boyfriend about his intentions concerning her son. Blaine, proved to be a polite, well-mannered boy, and it didn't take long for her to see what Kurt saw in him. Later that night, she made up the living room couch for him and insisted he'd stay with them until his parents came back from their trip.

Noah Puckerman, Kurt's former bully, threw a New Year's Eve party, to which Kurt, to his surprise was also invited. Rachel explained that it was just a party for the people in choir and their friends, because the popular kids had been staying away from Noah since "Babygate" and the subsequent joining of choir. To Kurt's utter surprise, no one at the party seemed to mind that he showed up at the party with his boyfriend, but he suspected it was because of the two girls making out in a dark corner of the Puckermans' basement.

***

In February, Kurt and Blaine celebrated their first Valentine's Day together with their first full on make out session in Blaine's living room. Blaine's parents were away on a business trip yet again, and Elisabeth had told Kurt that she wanted the house to herself because a friend was coming over – code for, as Kurt had realized by now – a date. Kurt didn't mind his mom dating – after all, she was still quite young – as long as she didn't bring home asshole like that homophobe Paul all those years ago.

Their ‘celebrations’ were however cut short when Blaine's parents unexpectedly came back home a day early, and were – to say it nicely – not amused to find their son with his tongue down another boy's throat. A heated discussion ensued which culminated in Blaine's father telling him that if he didn't want to be normal and continued to be involved with guys who basically dressed and sounded like girls – at the point Blaine had punched a wall – it would be better for everyone involved if Blaine didn't come back home anymore.

Blaine's parents, always keen to keep up appearances and avoid scandals, informed him that Dalton had been paid for the rest of the semester and that they were willing to give him a monthly stipend until he got his trust fund when he turned eighteen and gave him the rest of the evening to pack up his belongings.

Kurt took a distraught Blaine back to his house, where Elisabeth, after asking her "friend" to leave, hugged the shaking boy and then proceeded to make hot chocolate for all of them. Together they discussed Blaine's future living arrangement, and while Blaine insisted that he got an apartment when the school year was over, Elisabeth told him that she wouldn't allow a sixteen year old boy to live on his own, and insisted that he moved in with them, for now on the weekends, and after school was over for good. Before Blaine could politely decline, Elisabeth told him that she wouldn't accept a no, and that they better started cleaning out Kurt's old bedroom, because they were sure as hell not going to share a room, cool mom or not.

The following weekend saw Kurt and Blaine redecorating Kurt's old bedroom together with Elisabeth who had volunteered to paint the walls. Blaine, at first, had a hard time dealing with having a parental figure around so much, mostly because he was surprised that an adult would want to spend time with him, but countless Friday night dinners together and game nights proved to him, that Elisabeth didn't just endure his presence, she actually wanted to spend time with him as much as with her son.

The only thing Blaine lamented was the lack of privacy he and Kurt had, now that they were both living in Kurt's house. There wasn't much that they could do at Dalton, because they had strict rules in place for same-sex couples, so as to be fair to boys who had girlfriends in other schools and weren't allowed to have them in their dorms either. Elisabeth did give them permission to be in one of their bedrooms together, as long as the door stayed wide open, and Blaine was way to scared to get kicked out of another house to try anything with Kurt, who didn't mind it too much either, because he actually preferred that they were taking it slow and hadn't gone beyond heated make out sessions yet.

***

In April, they discovered that even with Blaine's monthly stipend he wouldn't be able to pay for Dalton anymore. Because it looked like Kurt's two chief tormentors might actually graduate in May, and Kurt's other bully had joined choir and had invited Kurt to one of his parties, it was decided that both Kurt and Blaine would attend McKinley come next fall. Elisabeth justified Kurt's transfer back to public school to Burt by telling him, that Dalton even with the scholarship was just getting too expensive and that Kurt had missed his friends a lot during his time away. Burt didn't protest, because he had to pay for two families now, and was glad he didn't have to help pay for an expensive private school as well.

Kurt's seventeenth birthday also marked Kurt and Blaine's six-month anniversary. Kurt called his father and told him he didn't have to come because he was going up to Columbus with his girlfriend for that weekend. Burt seemed pleased to hear that Kurt and his girlfriend were still going strong and wished them a good time. A good time did Kurt and Blaine have in their hotel room at the Columbus Hilton – yes Blaine had splurged for the occasion – after seeing a production of Rent. Beforehand they had both agreed that they were definitely not ready to go all the way, but that they were willing to go a little further. A little further culminated in taking off their shirts, which wasn't exactly something new – they both had been to the public pool - finally getting to touch each other without Kurt's infamous layers in the way and Blaine awkwardly sticking his hand down Kurt's pants. Although the whole experience had been slightly awkward, Kurt still declared afterwards that this had been one of the best days of his life so far. Blaine only smiled at him, because even post-orgasm Kurt had a penchant for being overdramatic. Kurt was just glad they had already exchanged ‘’I love yous’ because he was sure that otherwise that would have been the moment he would have blurted it out.

Because school was over for the year and Elisabeth couldn't keep an eye on them all the time anyway, she allowed Blaine to stay in Kurt's room, after giving them a lengthy lecture on safe sex, that embarrassingly involved a lot of pamphlets, and the emotional aspects of intimacy. All three were red-faced when it was over, but when Blaine later that night proclaimed that Kurt's mom was the best mom ever, Kurt could only whole-heartedly agree. He might only have one parent, but that parent was so much better than having two who didn't give a rat's ass about their children.

     Unfortunately, good things never last. It was after their second sexual experience, and yes it was still so fresh that Kurt had to number them, that Kurt relearnt this lesson. Kurt and Blaine were snuggled together on Kurt's bed, watching Moulin Rouge for the umpteenth time, while Kurt's mom was on her way back from a concert in Cincinnati. They had just reached the part where all hell breaks lose on the stage of the Moulin Rouge, when the phone rang. Kurt, who was closer to the phone, answered. As Blaine turned to Kurt questioningly, Kurt turned even paler than usual and the phone hit the floor with a loud bang.

 


	6. Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Kurt, it just doesn't get better.

**Left Behind**

_Lima, OH, June 14, 2010, Kurt aged 17_

Two days after Elisabeth's deadly accident, Blaine was lying on Kurt's bed holding Kurt as close as possible. They had both spent most of the time crying ever since they had left the hospital were they had to confirm that the woman was indeed Elisabeth Hummel, and although Kurt seemed to have calmed down, Blaine could still hear the occasional sob escaping Kurt's lips. They had both lost someone who was very important to them and so the best they could do at the moment was comfort each other as best as they could.

Blaine knew that Kurt was not just – as if that could ever be a just – grieving, but he was also worried about his future. He didn't had any relatives close by, other than homophobic grandparents in Kentucky he hadn't, as far as Blaine knew, seen in years and he knew that Kurt definitely didn't want to move away from the place his mother was going to be buried in.

"Tell me about your dad. You never really talk about him. What is he like?" Blaine asked once Kurt had calmed down enough to hold a conversation.

"He is a homophobic asshole, who's probably going to take me away from here and move me to ass-backwards Texas, where his perfect new son can show me how to be a man," Kurt spat and promptly dissolved into tears again. Once he stopped shaking Kurt continued his rant.

"I've been telling my dad I have a girlfriend for years now, just so that he treats me the same as Finn. No that he treats me the same. It's always Finn this and Finn that before he asks me if I'm still into music, and wasn't it about time I stopped prancing around in weird clothes, because people are gonna assume I'm a fag – girlfriend or not."

"Yeah, well. If he can't see how amazing you are, he doesn't deserve you. Wasn't that what you've told me about my parents?" Blaine interrupted. Kurt was already feeling bad enough as it was; there was no need for him to put himself down as well.

"Just tell your dad you don't want to move away from here where your friends and your house are," Blaine suggested. "And even if he makes you move to Texas; I promise it's going to be okay. You'll be eighteen in a year. You could just come back for your senior year."

"But I don't want that! I don't want to lose you too!" Kurt sobbed into Blaine's shoulder.

"Hey, you are not going to lose me. This is our worst case scenario; and we will make it work if we have to – I believe in us." Blaine tried to comfort Kurt. Kurt's next words were muffled, because his face was still pressed into Blaine's shoulder.

"It's just not fair! Why my mom? What did she ever do to anyone? I'm glad I don't believe in God, because this would be proof enough that he doesn't exist."

Blaine didn't know how to answer this. Religion was one topic they had never really discussed, but Blaine could understand Kurt's frustrations. Because of Blaine's religious upbringing, he however, had to convince himself that God didn't punish Elisabeth for giving two gay teens shelter. He would never voice these concerns in front of Kurt though, who was currently clutching the front of his t-shirt mumbling what ifs into Blaine's shoulder. He was at a loss for what to do. He knew he should comfort Kurt like a good boyfriend, but in the end he needed comfort as much as Kurt did, because Elisabeth, in the short time he had known her, had been more of a mother to him, than his own had ever been.

"It's going to be okay. We're going to figure it out," Blaine murmured into Kurt's hair, probably more for his own sake than Kurt's.

_Austin, TX, June 14, 2010, Burt aged 37_

Burt and Carole were sitting at the kitchen table, Burt with his head in his hands. Carole pushed a cup of coffee in front of him.

"How did it go?" Carole asked.

"He wants to stay up there. Says he couldn't leave the place behind where his mom is going to be laid to rest."

Burt raised his head to answer Carole's question before dropping it again. He had not expected to lose his ex-wife so young. At thirty-seven he was ready to take care of a family – as Carole and Finn proved – but he had no idea how his biological son, who he never had much in common with, would fit into all this.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to force Kurt to move down here with us," Carole interrupted his train of thoughts. "His whole world has just come crumbling down on him and the last thing he needs now, is to be uprooted from his save place."

"And what if a change of scenery is what he needs? How can he get past this if he's reminded of his mother everywhere he goes?" Burt countered.

"Kurt is going to have a hard time dealing with this no matter where he lives. But at least in Ohio, he has friends who can help him through this. You haven't seen him for a few years – right now you are basically strangers."

Burt knew Carole was right. Apart from a few phone calls and emails, he hadn't had much contact with his son, because he had never really understood him. It was time to step up to the plate.

"Finn's not going to like it," Burt sighed. He liked the boy, but lately he had turned into a self-absorbed, arrogant, stereotypical jock.

"No, he's not. But Finn always makes friends fast. From what you've told me about Kurt, it'd be really bad to take him away from the few he has. And if anyone needs a change of scenery it's Finn. I don't like what he's turned into lately. Getting away from his so-called friends might be good for him."

Burt smiled at Carole. It was as if she could read his mind. Before Carole got up to clear the table she added.

"Why don't we start looking for houses when we fly up for the funeral. I know your old one isn't big enough for the four of us, and Kurt would probably not want us to live there anyway."

"The house is Kurt's. Trish told me years ago, she put it in her will. And you're right; if we want Kurt and Finn to get along we need to make sure both of the boys have their own space."

Carole kissed the top of Burt's balding head.

"I'll make some arrangements then. Call Kurt and let him know."

_Lima, OH, June 15_

Kurt and Blaine were standing in front of Kurt's mirror, both wearing matching black suits. Kurt was struggling to fix his tie, a gesture that showed Blaine how nervous Kurt was.

"Let me help you with that." Blaine untangled Kurt's tie and then quickly fixed the knot before tightening it around Kurt's neck.

"Have you heard from your dad?" Blaine asked while he was brushing imaginary lint from Kurt's shoulder.

Kurt nodded once, but didn't elaborate.

"Good news or bad news?" Blaine tried again.

"I suppose it's good news," Kurt conceded. "They start looking for houses after the funeral."

"Great,” Blaine gulped. "I'll start looking for an apartment later."

"Don't be ridiculous! The house is mine. You can stay as long as you like – we'll figure it out. Just not right now. I'm sorry, I really can't focus on that now."

Blaine wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulders to calm him down.

"It's okay. I understand." Blaine let go of Kurt and offered him his hand. "Ready?"

Kurt took Blaine's hand and together they walked up the stairs to the front door.

"As I'll ever be."

_Outside of Lima, OH, June 15_

The Hudson-Hummel family was in their rental car on their way to the cemetery. Unfortunately their flight had been delayed, and Finn's constant whining and general refusal to cooperate had resulted in them being late for the funeral.

"And I still don't understand why I have to be here for this. It's not like I knew her," Finn, Carole's sixteen year old son complained yet again.

Carole turned around to face the teenager and scowled at him.

"Kurt is Burt's son. Kurt just lost his mother. Kurt is family and we are going to treat him as such. We're here to support Kurt and show him that he is not alone! Now Finn, please stop complaining or I'm taking  your video games."

That shut him up. She turned back to the front and asked Burt how much longer he thought it would take.

***

The family arrived at the cemetery fifteen minutes later, just as the coffin was being lowered into the ground. Burt was looking around for his son, until he spied a boy that looked like the pictures he had received. The boy was in the arms of a girl, Burt recognized as the girlfriend. Next to them was a dark skinned girl and a boy with gelled back black hair, both holding one of his son's hands. All four of them appeared to be crying. He was about to walk over to the group when a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let them be. I don't think this is the right time for the reunion with the estranged father, Burt."

 Burt looked back over to his son. Carole was right. Kurt had friends who took care of him. What could Burt offer him but platitudes?

"Why don't we call the realtor and see if there are any houses she could show us this afternoon? Will just stay at a hotel and have breakfast with Kurt tomorrow morning."

They walked back to the car where Finn was still sulking.

"Good thing, I still have a key. We can surprise him with breakfast tomorrow."

_Lima, OH same day, back at the house_

Kurt's living room was filled with people all trying to express their regrets. He had initially wanted to spend the afternoon alone, but Blaine and the girls had managed to convince him, that some company in the form of his friends would be good for him. For the past half hour Rachel and Mercedes's parents, some neighbors and half of the Warblers were mingling in the room, trying not to bump into each other. Kurt was wedged between Rachel and Blaine on the couch, trying his best to put on a brave face and thank people for the flowers and the food, but after a while Blaine noticed that Kurt was barely keeping it together and asked everyone including Mercedes and Rachel to leave.

Both had expected Kurt's family to show up in the course of the afternoon, but Blaine knew that Kurt was relieved he didn't have to deal with them just yet. As soon as people had left, Kurt started sobbing into Blaine's shoulder again. After a while his sorrow turned into anger and Blaine had to watch helplessly as Kurt threw plates and kicked over chairs. It took Blaine quite some time to calm down his boyfriend, but when Kurt finally collapsed in his arms, he picked him up bridal style and carried him downstairs to his bed.

When Blaine came out of the bathroom, where he had been looking for some tissues, Kurt was waiting for him completely naked. Blaine at first could just stare at him, because even though they had done some things, they had never been completely naked in front of each other.

"Kurt, what are you doing?" Blaine gasped and picked up the comforter from the floor to cover Kurt up.

"Don't you want me? I want you. I don't want to wait anymore, knowing that I can just lose you tomorrow. Please, Blaine."

Tears were streaming down Kurt's face again, while he was begging Blaine to touch him. Blaine wrapped the crying boy into the comforter, quietly pleading with him.

"Of course, I want you. But not right now, not like this. I would feel like I took advantages of you. When the time is right, I would love to sleep with you, but right now isn't the right time, okay. I'm not saying no, just not right now."

 During Blaine's monologue, Kurt had stopped crying and he now looked deeply ashamed.

"I'm sorry. I'll just go to bathroom and get dressed," he mumbled.

Kurt grabbed his discarded boxers from the floor and dashed into the ensuite bathroom. Blaine stripped down to his own boxers and crawled into the bed waiting for Kurt to reappear.

       Thirty minutes later, Kurt came back into the room, face washed and looking oddly calm. He shed the t-shirt he had put on and snuggled up to Blaine. The two boys fell asleep spooning each other and both fell into a fitful sleep they were woken from the next day, when someone loudly exclaimed:

       "What the hell?"

 

 


	7. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burt Hummel is a D-bag. And that means a lot coming from Blaine, who never disrespects grown ups.

**Introductions**

_Lima, OH, June 16_

"What the hell!"

Blaine was still spooning Kurt when he was rudely awakened by someone shouting close by. He managed to crack open an eye and saw a group of people in front of their bed. In the front, a man in jeans, flannel shirt and baseball cap was glaring in their direction.

"Are you out of your mind Kurt? Cheating on your girlfriend with a guy hours after your mother was buried!" the man Blaine assumed to be Kurt's father shouted.

Blaine tried to disentangle himself from Kurt, who he felt stirring next to him. A tall teenager, Finn, Blaine remembered, was eyeing them with distain before he muttered: "Gross!"

"Take a walk Finn", the woman next to Finn ordered.

"Mom!"

"Now, Finn!"

Finn stomped back upstairs muttering insults under his breath.

"What?" A confused Kurt asked after he had finally managed to extricate himself from Blaine's embrace.

"The girl from the pictures. The one I saw you hugging yesterday," Kurt's father elaborated.

"Rachel? She's not my girlfriend."

"So you're a liar too now?" The older man countered.

Kurt looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. Blaine knew he had been avoiding a confrontation like this for years now.

"I only told you she was my girlfriend because I knew you wouldn't like it if I told you I had a boyfriend. Mom promised not to tell you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine saw that Kurt was struggling to keep his tears in. Couldn't his father see that he was upsetting Kurt? Unfortunately, Kurt's father didn't let it go.

     "If you knew I'd disapprove, then why are you doing this. Is this some twisted form of teenage rebellion?"

"This isn't about you or mom or anybody else!" Kurt sounded exhausted. "This is about me. Not about what you think is right or wrong, but who I love. And nothing you say or do will change that."

A tear escaped Kurt's eye and was rolling down his face. Blaine, who so far had watched the exchange silently frozen in bed, reached out and took Kurt's hand into his own to show his support, ignoring the glare Burt Hummel sent in his direction.

"We'll see about that," Kurt's father threatened.

The woman, who had also watched the exchange frozen in place, suddenly put her hand on Burt’s arm to distract him from Kurt and Blaine on the bed.

"Burt, why don't we all calm down and talk about this like reasonable adults? Let the boys get dressed and then we can all have breakfast together."

 Burt took a deep breath and then glared again in Blaine's direction.

"Yeah, well. I think he should leave so I can have a little chat with my son."

Blaine paled, but before he could say anything, Kurt glared at his father and told him with a voice like steel.

"His name is Blaine, and he lives here too. Mom promised him he'd always have a home here as long as he wanted to, and you are not going to make him leave."

Before anything else could be said the woman interrupted again.

"Burt…!"

"Fine. Let's go upstairs and try to have a reasonable talk with a child."

Burt turned around and stomped up the stairs, sulking like a five year old.

Once Burt had left the room, the woman took a step closer.

"I'm Carole by the way. I'm really sorry about your father and my son. Are pancakes okay for breakfast?"

Blaine and Kurt nodded in unison because there wasn't much they could say or do in their current situation anyway.

***

When Carole made her way to the kitchen she called out for Finn, but after hearing no reply she assumed he was still out as she had requested. She found her husband pacing in front of the stove. Carole opened the fridge where earlier she had stored some groceries and took out the ingredients she needed for pancakes. Burt was still muttering to himself, blocking her access to the stove.

"Stop that."

Burt finally looked at her. He looked pissed.

"I can't believe he lied to me for years. He didn't just keep the truth from me, he actively misled me," Burt spat out.

Carole knew she should tread lightly, but she had never been a woman who kept her thoughts to herself. Usually Burt told her that was what he liked about her.

"And that surprises you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Burt immediately went on the defense. Carole rolled her eyes.

"Kurt's not a child anymore. He must have picked up on the reason his mom didn't want you around."

"I was just trying to help her make him normal," Burt interrupted her.

Carole sighed. They had had this discussion before, many times, ever since Burt had opened up to her about his shaky relationship with his son. He knew she disagreed with him on the subject, but he usually just dismissed her and told her to come back when it was her son.

"But he is normal. He is still your son regardless of him having a boyfriend or a girlfriend."

Burt just continued, showing no indication that he had heard what she just said.

"It's not right and it's definitely not normal. No way in hell am I going to leave him here where people tell him it's okay to fornicate with boys."

"Burt…!"

Carole tried to draw Burt's attention back to her again, but Burt wouldn't listen.

"No! Call Finn and tell him to stop sulking. Kurt's moving to Texas with us. Once he is away from this toxic environment he'll surely see the errors of his way."

Carole had seen the way her new stepson had clung to the other boy as if he were the only thing keeping him going.

"Burt don't…"

"My decision is final Carole. Kurt's my son, so I make the decisions. You'll see, in the long run, it's what's best for him."

Carole knew Burt was right. She couldn't make any decisions about Kurt. They only thing she could do was be there for Kurt and hope for the best.

"I hope you'll see how wrong you are, before you lose your son for good."

"I know I'm doing the right thing. That is all I need to know."

Carole knew there was no talking to him when he acted like that. She turned back to the food she had taken out of the fridge and started preparing pancakes.

***

Kurt, after having convinced Blaine that he needed to face his father alone, was slowly entering the kitchen where Carole was preparing pancakes and his father was glaring at the coffee in front of him as if it had personally offended him.

Carole turned around when she heard him enter and smiled at him. Kurt thought he could actually have liked her if she weren't married to his father. She reminded him of his mother, but he couldn't think about that now or he wouldn't be able stop crying for hours, and he wasn't sure he had any tears left.

"Where's Blaine?" she asked while putting a plate stacked with pancakes on the table.

"He's taking a walk to give us time to talk alone," Kurt answered, avoiding looking at his father.

"Alright, tell him I'll save some pancakes for him."

Carole took a few pancakes and put them in the oven to keep them warm. Carole already looked so at home in his kitchen. But he didn't want that. He wanted his mom and Blaine here with him. Not a stranger and a father who hated him.

"Kurt, sit down. After breakfast I want you to go downstairs and pack your things," Burt said without looking up from his coffee.

"You found a house already?", he asked, surprised by the efficiency of the realtor.

His father finally looked up briefly before focusing his attention back on the cup in front of him. "No, you're moving to Texas with us."

Kurt drew in a shaky breath. He wouldn't. He had promised they would stay in Ohio. He couldn't leave.

"But you said…"

He couldn't finish the sentence. He had to focus all his attention on not starting to cry in front of his father.

"That was before I found out what company you keep here," his dad said in an icy tone.

Kurt gripped the counter behind him. This couldn't be happening. Not now.

"You can't do that to me. Please don't make me leave my mom and Blaine. He's all I have left."

He couldn't stop the tear that ran down his face. His father looked up at him and scowled.

"As soon as you are away from him, you'll see how unhealthy it is to have a relationship like that with another boy. As for your mother. I'm so sorry about that but I think a fresh start is going to be what's best for you."

Kurt wiped the tear away. He wouldn't go down without a fight. His father had to understand.

"You can take me out of Ohio, and move me away from Blaine, but it's not going to make me any less gay! " Kurt couldn't help raising his voice. His father gave him what he probably thought was a sympathetic look.

"You're just confused because you don't know any better and people so far have encouraged your abnormal behavior."

How dare his father call his love for Blaine abnormal.

"I'll be eighteen in a year. And as soon as I turn eighteen, I'm back here. You can't keep me away from the person I love for good," Kurt shot back at his father.

"You're barely seventeen. What do you know about love?" his father countered. Kurt hated when people told him he was too young to be in love. What did they know about his life or his relationship?

"I know that the people who really love you accept you the way you are instead of trying to change you."

If his father loved him as he proclaimed he did, he would accept Kurt's differences instead of trying to force him to change. Kurt realized he should have told his father the truth years ago, instead of staying in the closet to keep his relationship with his father. It had just not been worth it.

His father was staring at his coffee again. "Eat your breakfast and then start packing. The sooner we get out of here the better."

Kurt scowled at him and ran out of the kitchen back to what had been the sanctuary of his bedroom.

***

Blaine had snuck back downstairs when he had heard raised voiced coming from the kitchen. He had just finished straightening out the covers on the bed when Kurt came running downstairs, tears streaming down his face. Blaine let Kurt cry into his shoulder until he had calmed down enough to recount what had happened in the kitchen.

Blaine was at a loss for what to say. He was terrified of being left behind, having nowhere to go but stay in Kurt's house all alone and the upcoming school year. But he couldn't add to Kurt's worries. Courage he told himself before sitting Kurt down on the bed next to him and wrapping his arms around him.

"It's going to be okay. We talked about this. It's just for a year. And I can come visit you. I mean Carole seems nice. I'm sure she would help us."

Kurt shook his head. Of course his boyfriend wouldn't make this easy.

"I can't just leave you here by yourself. And McKinley is a hellhole even without Karofsky."

Blaine sure as hell didn't want to go back to public school on his own, but he just didn't have the money for Dalton. At least at McKinley he already knew a few people.

"Don't worry about me. I'm going to be all right. I already know Rachel and Mercedes and some people from choir, and if I join I'll have people around me who don't care that I'm gay. They have a lesbian couple, I'm sure they'd be cool with me too."

Blaine knew Kurt didn't just worry about his boyfriend, he was terrified of what would happen to him. After a silent moment during which Blaine was rubbing Kurt's back in what he hoped was a soothing manner, Kurt spoke up again.

"I don't wanna go. I don't know anyone there apart from a stepbrother who called me gross the first time he met me. And who knows what my dad will do to try to make me straight – as if I could be even if I wanted. And mom, I can't…,"

Kurt couldn't finished the sentence as he started sobbing again. Blaine felt a tear escape his own eye. He didn't like seeing his boyfriend so down. He was one of the strongest people he had ever met. Kurt just needed to believe it himself.

"Don't let them get you down. You're Kurt Hummel. You're fabulous. And you know what you're mom used to say. No one pushes the Hummels around."

That got a small smile out of Kurt.

"And as for Finn. Show him that there's nothing to be afraid of – that there's nothing wrong with you. Prejudice is just ignorance. And you have a chance to teach him." Kurt looked at him hopefully.

"How?"

Blaine thought for a moment. What was it that he had never dared to do when it came to the bullies at his old public school?

"Confront him. Call him out. Have courage." Kurt's lips twitched at little, probably because Blaine used the phrase so often.

"You always know what to say to make me feel better. I'm going to miss you so much."

Another tear threatened to escape. He had to stay strong now or he wouldn't be able to stop crying.

"Hey, we can still talk on the phone and Skype. Your dad has the shop. He can't control you every minute of the day."

Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's temple but was suddenly pushed backward onto the bed with Kurt pressing him down. After a few seconds he returned Kurt's desperate kiss.

"I love you. So, so much," Kurt panted against his lips.

Blaine indulged a few moments longer before gently pushing Kurt back. He didn't want to be caught by Kurt's father because that sure as a hell wouldn't help their case.

"I love you too. Come on. I'll help you pack."

***

Finn came back from his forced walk to find his mom and Burt in the kitchen. His mom was shooting daggers at his stepfather, while Burt was on the phone with someone. He grabbed a plate and filled it with his mom's pancakes.

"What's going on?"

"Finn, swallow before you talk," his mom admonished him. "Burt is trying to get us plane tickets for Austin for later today."

"Sweet."

Finn did not want to move to Ohio. He was top dog at his school in Austin and had a smoking hot girlfriend. He only had two years of high school left and didn't want to start at the bottom again. Especially if he had to go to school with Burt's son. He couldn't understand why a dude would voluntarily do that with another guy. It was gross and wrong. Everyone said so, apart from his mom, but that was because she was too liberal for her own good, as his girlfriend's mom always said.

"What about Kurt though? I thought he was my age. Why is he allowed to live on his own?"

Carole sent him her "Oh, honey – look", the one she always gave him when he was slow catching on.

"Finn, Kurt is coming back with us to Texas."

"Until you guys find a house up here?"

"No. Burt decided that Kurt will come live with us in Austin. He will go to school with you come fall."

No. Finn thought. That would be even worse. His mom would probably insist he'd show Kurt around and his friends would not take too kindly to him running around with a homo.

He saw his mom writing down something on a piece of paper, but looked up when he heard Burt hang up the phone.

"Finn, can you go downstairs and tell Kurt we're leaving in thirty minutes and he'll better be ready. I go and put our things back in the car."

After Finn had nodded his assent, Burt left the kitchen. Finn didn't really want to go talk to Kurt, but he figured it was better to just get it over and done with and then get back to Austin. Before he could leave the kitchen his mom stopped him and handed him the piece of paper she had written on before.

"Please give this to Blaine. It's my cell number."

"Why are you giving him your number?"

Finn didn't understand why his mom was interested in that guy.

"Because I feel bad leaving him here on his own. I want him to be able to get in touch with me if he needs something." Finn was confused.

"What do you mean, stay here alone? Why doesn't he just go home?"

 "Kurt said he was living here. He didn't say why, but I suspect his parents kicked him out."

Finn couldn't wrap his head around that. Yeah, sure he thought that what the boys were doing was wrong, but not even Burt left Kurt behind alone.

He took the piece of paper and made his way back downstairs. He just hoped they weren't doing anything. He really didn't need to see that. When he entered the room, there were three packed suitcases at the foot of the stairs. Kurt was handing the other boy some keys. He walked over to Blaine and thrust the piece of paper in his direction.

"My mom wants you to have this. It's her cell number."

"Thanks," Blaine muttered clearly surprised.

Finn turned to Kurt. "Your dad said we're leaving in thirty minutes. So get ready."

He contemplated for a second carrying one of the suitcases upstairs, but decided not to and to wait in the car instead. It was time to beat his Angry Birds record.

     Thirty minutes later Kurt came out the front door struggling with two of his suitcases while Carole was carrying the third. Burt came around the house and got into the car. Once everything had been placed into the car, Kurt got into the back next to Finn. He looked like he had been crying. Burt turned around to remind them to put their seat belts on.

     As the car left the Hummel driveway, Finn looked out of the window and saw Blaine standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his face. He did feel sorry for the dude, because no one deserved to be kicked out of his house, but then again something like that would never happen to him, because he would never be with another guy. Finn turned away. Now all he had to do was make sure Kurt understood he couldn't tell anyone at school he was a homo or it would ruin his reputation. He dared a side-glance at his new stepbrother. But first he had to convince Burt that he couldn't let his son leave the house with those weird ass clothes he was wearing. Finn smiled. They had all summer to make Kurt normal and then maybe going to school with him would somehow be okay.

 

 


	8. Not all change is for the better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt would like to meet the guy who came up with 'It gets better' and punch him in the face (aka Kurt moves to Texas)

**Not All Change Is For The Better**

Burt Hummel was proud of the home he had built for himself in Austin after his divorce eight years ago. The garage was flourishing and in Lou Jenkins he had found a guy he could trust to look after the shop if he couldn't be there himself. Burt had been thinking about opening another branch of Hummel Tires and Lube and on his way to his ex-wife's funeral he had seen a for sale sign in front of the garage he had worked at eight years ago. But Burt Hummel had more important things to take care of now than mourning a lost opportunity.

The Hudson - Hummels lived in Allendale, which was in the north of Austin. It was a small, but well kept house close to the Texas State Highway, perfect for a family of three. Burt and Carole had discussed Kurt's living arrangement on the plane and Burt had decided to clean out the room he used to store boxes in for Kurt. The room wasn't big, but should offer enough space to put in a twin bed, dresser and desk. Burt had never really supported Kurt's move to the basement because he had always thought that his original bedroom was more than big enough for a child or a teenager. But Elisabeth had given in, as she always had.

No wonder the kid turned out the way he did. Burt stopped himself before he went further down that road. Ex-wife or not, one shouldn't speak ill of the dead. He would just have to give Kurt a proper male role model and things would sort themselves out.

It was close to midnight when they finally reached their house on Lexington Rd. While Finn ran upstairs to his bedroom, Burt helped Carole make up the couch for Kurt. The kid had barely said two words to any of them on the way to Austin, but he was at least polite to Carole. He decided to leave their luggage in the car for the night and get it the next morning before he took Kurt clothes shopping.

***

Kurt woke up with a stiff neck in an unfamiliar living room. On the coffee table were multiple sports magazines and the walls were covered with flowery tapestry. He smelled coffee somewhere in the house and after getting dressed in the downstairs bathroom, followed the smell not knowing where anything was yet. The only thing he had been told was that they would work on his new room today.

He decided to be a good sport for now, so maybe Carole would let him use her cell phone to call Blaine later tonight. He was desperate to hear a familiar voice and now that he couldn't call up his mom when he was sad anymore, Blaine was the only person who could help him get through this. His father had taken away his cell phone, but promised to get him a new one later. How much later he hadn't said.

Unfortunately it wasn't Carole who Kurt found in the kitchen, but his father reading a newspaper. He looked up briefly when Kurt entered and then gestured to the food on the table.

"Have some breakfast. Once you're done, we're going to Northcross Mall."

"We're going to the mall?" Kurt asked. He definitely hadn't expected that.

Usually a trip to the mall would always brighten his day, but today he wasn't in the mood. Shopping was something he had done with his mom, even though he had replaced her with Rachel and Mercedes over the past couple of years. Why did he have to act like a typical teenager and refused to let his mom take him shopping once he got older? He was so caught up in his memories that he nearly missed what his father was saying.

"You need some proper clothes. Finn gave me some pointers about what kids wear these days." Kurt scowled.

Finn Hudson was the last person he would ever ask for fashion tips.

 "What's wrong with the clothes I have?" Kurt demanded, pointing at his outfit.

He was wearing white skinny jeans, his black lace-up Doc Martens and a tight red shirt. It was summer after all.

"Yeah, no. You're not leaving the house like that. It screams homo."

Kurt flinched. He hadn't expected his father to come right out and say something like that.

"If you want to wear stuff like that here where no one can see it, knock yourself out. But you're not going to embarrass me in public. Your suitcases are upstairs, second room on the right. Go put something normal on after breakfast."

Kurt suddenly wasn't hungry anymore. He turned around and stormed out of the kitchen. Something normal. What had he done to deserve all that? Back in Lima, Kurt had always been allowed to wear whatever he wanted, apart from the one time he tried to wear a corset to school. But fine he would try and find something boring in his wardrobe and appease his father for now. It wasn't like there was anyone left who would compliment his outfits first thing in the morning. He just had to remember that as soon as he got dressed, they would go to the mall and he would have a cell phone again.

Upstairs he found his suitcases in a small room filled with cardboard boxes, which he assumed would become his bedroom. It wasn't even half the size of his basement room but for the foreseeable future it would have to do. In the second suitcase he opened he found his thanksgiving jeans, lose fitting jeans with straight legs and combined them with a Dalton P.E t-shirt he had stolen from Blaine, after they had started dating. He might not look fashionable, but at least he was wearing something that reminded him of his boyfriend.

When he came back downstairs Carole was in the kitchen. He gave her a small smile when she wished him good morning and accepted a thermos of coffee and some toast from her. His father was already sitting in his truck fiddling with the radio when Kurt came out and joined him.

***

The drive to the mall wasn't long. Burt was playing tour guide pointing at parks in the area that Kurt might be interested in.

"When we're done at Northcross I'm gonna take you down to McCallum to register you. Gonna ask them to try to get you in some of Finn's classes."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw his son shake his head. What now?

"I'm taking mostly AP classes, especially now after Dalton."

Burt had nearly forgotten about that fancy private school. He had known it would be a bad idea to send his son to an all boys school.

"You met that boy there?"

Kurt nodded his head. Like he had thought. The kid should have stayed in public school. It had been good enough for him and so it had to be good enough for his son. He glanced over at Kurt again. The kid seemed debating asking something.

"Maybe you could try to get me into some senior classes. If I want to get into a good college I'll need a head start. Especially, if I'm back in public school."

There wasn't anything he could say about that. Kids today needed to go to college if they wanted to make something out of their lives. Well, maybe not Finn. With his grades, Burt was surprised Finn was even allowed to be on the football team. At least with Finn, he had someone who could take over the shop one day. Burt had taken some business classes in Junior College and was doing fine.

***

The shopping trip with his father was a disaster. First Burt wouldn't let him shop anywhere else but Target, where he was forced to pick out jeans that were too big on him and awful graphic t-shirt and sweatshirts, and afterwards his father bought him a fucking child proof cell phone that could only dial the four numbers Burt approved at the store. Carole's cell, Finn's cell, his father's cell and the garage. Apparently his father was dead set on Kurt cutting all his ties with Ohio. When he complained about not being able to contact either Mercedes or Rachel – he knew it wouldn't be a good idea to bring up Blaine – his father told him he could use his cell phone as long as Burt was close by. Even prisoners could basically call whoever they wanted if they were allowed phone calls.

At least their trip to McCallum High went relatively well. The school reminded him of McKinley, impersonal and large enough for up to a thousand students. Kurt briefly met with the school's guidance counselor, a tall dark haired woman in her fifties, and she promised, after looking through his school records, to try and get him into one or two senior classes. She also gave him information on the school's extracurricular activities, but to Kurt's chagrin they school didn't offer any music or theater classes. How was he supposed to get into a performing arts college if his school didn't offer theater or choir?

***

After spending the morning at a local park throwing a ball around, Finn was lounging on the sofa with Kelly snuggled into his side, while he was battling Patrick in Grand Theft Auto. He was glad to see that the house was empty and Kurt wasn't anywhere close. His was sorry the dude lost his mom, but that didn't mean they had to be friends or something like that. The teens ordered pizza for lunch, and for a while Finn forgot all about the family addition. He was in the kitchen refilling Kelly's glass when he heard Burt's truck pull up. Burt and a miserable looking Kurt climbed out of the car and got shopping bags from the trunk. Finn gave Kurt a quick once-over, but fortunately he was wearing normal clothes. He was carrying the drinks back into the living room, when the front door open. Burt was telling Kurt that he had to go to the garage and that Kurt should start working on his room. Patrick looked up from the game when Kurt walked into the living room, a scowl on his face. Why did the dude have to look so unhappy after he got new stuff? Kelly gave Kurt a quick once-over as well and then turned to Finn.

"He the stepbrother you mentioned?" Finn nodded.

It wasn't like he could hide it and tell them the guy was an exchange student who didn't speak English. His mom would have his head on a platter.

"You wanna play?" Patrick asked, waving a controller in Kurt's direction.

"No thank you. I have things to take care of," Kurt said in his weird high pitched voice in a I'm so much better than you tone.

"You're living with a fag?" Patrick asked incredulously.

Shit. His friends could never know that.

"Of course not. My mom said he's just a late bloomer or something like that."

 Patrick shrugged and turned back to the game, while Kurt glared at him.

"Don't you have stuff to do?" Finn shot in Kurt's direction.

He got back a stiff nod and then Kurt stomped upstairs probably to empty the storage room. His mom had asked him to help Kurt with the boxes, but Finn didn't see a reason why he had to. It didn't matter. Kurt didn't seem the type to rat him out to his mom.

***

When Carole came home that night she found Burt and Finn in front of the TV watching some sports game. Kurt was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Kurt?" she asked her husband and son, who hadn't acknowledged her presence yet.

Burt pointed upstairs but then returned his attention to the TV. Carole sighed. Sometimes she didn't know what to do with the men in her house.

Upstairs, she found her stepson dragging the last of the boxes into a hallway closet. His clothes lay neatly folded on the bed Burt must have put in some time during the day. Carole didn't harbor any illusions that Finn had helped at all. Lately she just didn't know what to do with him anymore.

"Need some help with that?" Carole grabbed a box and pushed it into the closet.

"No thank you. I'm nearly done."

There was a clear dismissal in his tone. But Carole didn't give up easily.

"Do you like to cook? I could use some help with dinner, if you wanted to?" she tried again.

For a second there was a hint of a smile on his face but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"I suppose so."

Carole didn't let herself get derailed by his short answers. After all, she'd been living with a teenager for a while.

"I like what you are wearing by the way."

It looked expensive and not something she had seen on a teenager before, but the dark skinny jeans and silver vest suited the teenager.

"Thank you. Not that it matters. After all I'm not allowed to leave the house in my not-normal clothes."

"Kurt, you know I don't agree with you're father, but I'm not the one making the decisions in regards to you. I'm sorry."

The teen was staring intently down at his shoes.

"I understand, but it's nice of you to say that. If things were different…" he trailed of.

"Come on. There is this recipe that I've been dying to try. And while we're in the kitchen you can send a text to Blaine about your day. How does that sound?"

That finally earned her a genuine smile. She would have loved to let him use her cell for a phone call, but while Burt and Finn were both home it just wasn't a good idea. She'd probably have to delete the sent text afterwards, on the off chance that Burt looked at her phone.

***

Blaine was sitting on the living room couch surrounded by half empty pints of ice cream Rachel and Mercedes had brought over when his phone dinged. Carole's name popped up and Blaine fumbled for a bit before he could open the message. It wasn't long but it was something.

"Was that Kurt? Let me see." Rachel demanded and grabbed his phone to read it out loud.

"Blaine, survived my first day in hell. Not allowed to wear my clothes in public, no choir at school, and Finn's friends already hate me. At least we have Carole on our side. I miss you. Love Kurt."

Before he knew it the two girls had enveloped him in a hug.

"That sucks so bad. No wonder, Ms. Hummel divorced the d-bag," Mercedes exclaimed.

At the mention of Elisabeth, Blaine's eyes welled up again. A month ago he had a boyfriend and a mother figure. Now he was living on his own in their house, and had no idea when he would see Kurt again. Rachel, as always, managed to take his mind of the horrible things for a while.

"How did your audition for King's Island go? I'm really jealous they weren't looking for female performers. But at least this year I get to pass on my knowledge to young impressionable minds at camp."

Blaine initially didn't plan to go to his call back after the funeral, but he needed the extra money if he wanted to see Kurt before next May.

"I start next Monday. Three shows a day and five on weekends. I get Wednesdays and Thursdays off, just in case you wanted to visit me sometime. I could use some company." That sounded pathetic even to his own ears.

"What about the guys from the Warblers? Don't you see them anymore?" Mercedes asked on her way to the kitchen to get them more junk food.

"Wes and David have both graduated and are doing internships somewhere outside Ohio, and the others I've been close with are on vacations in Europe or the Caribbean."

To spell it out made his friends sound like entitled little rich boys, but once upon a time, he had spent his school holidays in exactly the same fashion.

"Oh, well. Then we'll have to be your entertainment for this summer. Someone has to take care of you while Kurt's gone. And you know, my dads said you'd be welcome to move in with us if you wanted."

Rachel's dads had been worried when they heard he lived on his own without a guardian, but Blaine had received signed documents that would enable him to become emancipated, shortly after his parents had asked him to leave their house. He didn't need a guardian, and as nice as it would be to live with other people, he didn't want to leave the house, he had felt at home at the most.

"Tell them thanks for the offer, Rach, but I'd rather stay in Kurt's room and look after the house for him."

Rachel nodded. "Then we should at least make sure that this is going to be a fabulous sleep-over. But before, I think you should text back Kurt."

 "Are you sure? I don't want to get him into trouble his first day there."

 After seeing Burt Hummel's reaction to the two of them Blaine just couldn't help but be worried about Kurt.

"I'm sure that Carole lady will pass you're message on."

Rachel handed his phone back. He stared at the keys for a couple of seconds before typing.

"Miss you too. Glad you are semi-okay. Hope to talk to you soon. R&M are keeping me company tonight. Love, Blaine."

***

Burt listened to his wife and son giggling in the kitchen. He just didn't understand why Carole was encouraging his behavior. The boy shouldn't be cooking in the kitchen, but learn how to do manly stuff. Starting tomorrow, the kid would come to the garage with him and learn how to work on cars, if he wanted to have an allowance.

Finn had been working with cars for years and he had turned out like the son Burt had always wanted to have. Not that he didn't want Kurt. Kurt just had to learn how to act normally and then they wouldn't have a problem anymore. Burt was sure of it. After all, all boys craved their father's acceptance and if Kurt wanted it he had to work a little harder for it.

 

 


	9. Welcome to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt starts High School with Finn.

**Welcome to hell**

The rest of the summer passed in a similar fashion. His father took him to the garage every morning, where he was forced to do oil changes and other small repairs his father taught him. Kurt actually didn't mind the work so much, or at least he wouldn't have, had it been his choice to help out at the shop. It helped getting his mind of things when he was elbow deep in a car. At least when he had to focus on the work he was doing he couldn't let his mind wander to his mom or the other people he had to leave behind in Ohio.

When Burt and Finn were out, Carole often lent Kurt her cell phone so he could call Blaine, Rachel and Mercedes, which helped on days when he could barely force himself to get out of bed in the morning. He knew Carole was worried about him, because she had caught him crying more than once, but apart from lending him her cell phone, Kurt knew there wasn't much she could do for him. But at least she tried. Finn either ignored him, when his jock friends were around, or shot him dirty looks when Kurt was wearing one of his more elaborate outfits at home. Kurt was sure, the only reason he was allowed to wear them at all, was because Carole had intervened on his behalf.

Also, he had kept Blaine's advice in mind, but whenever he tried to talk to Finn alone, Finn found excuses not be anywhere near him. Much too soon the summer was over, and the first day of school was coming up. Kurt just hoped that McCallum High was better than McKinley had been when Kurt had last attended.

***

Burt was having breakfast in the kitchen, when Kurt finally came downstairs. Technically, he should have been at work thirty minutes ago, but he had to make sure, Kurt didn't go to school in some weird get up. Fortunately, his son was wearing normal jeans and a simple t-shirt and at least looked like one of Finn's friends. There wasn't anything he could do about his son's voice, though. The doctor he had consulted had told Burt, that if Kurt’s voice hadn't dropped much yet, then it wouldn't anymore, but at least with normal clothes he didn't look so flaming.

Like most mornings Kurt ignored him and just grabbed some coffee, before leaving the house, but Burt was sure that when Kurt was older he would appreciate what Burt had done for him. He just wanted his son to have an easy life, especially after what had happened to him so far. Burt didn't know all the details, because Patricia had stopped telling him things years ago, but he couldn't imagine that growing up in Ohio had been easy for the kid. If Kurt just tried to blend in, they wouldn't have any problems.

***

Kurt was anxious when approached the school. He didn't want to go back into the closet, but if all people at this school were like Finn and his friends, maybe it would be better, if no one knew about him and he could just try to blend in. God, he was starting to sound like his father. His mom had always encouraged him to be true to himself, and now wasn't the time to give up. He wanted to make her proud, and if that meant having to deal with bullies again, he would hold his head up high and just deal with it.

Apparently, Finn hadn't managed to keep his big mouth shut anyway, because before he could even open the door, Finn's friend Patrick shoved him against the railing.

"We don't want fags at our school!"

Kurt flinched, because he had secretly hoped he was past the name-calling and the shoving. Kurt straightened himself up, and walked into the school with his head held up high. Maybe if they saw that it didn't affect him they would leave him alone. The strategy had never really worked in Ohio, but maybe it would work on the morons he had to go to school with now.

Inside, he made his way to the guidance counselor's office, who fortunately informed him, that he would take two classes with the seniors and because of him taking mostly A.P. classes wouldn't be able to share any with his brother. At least some things were working out. The rest of the day, unfortunately, did not work in Kurt's favor. In class, no one volunteered to do a group project with him, and so Kurt had to assure his teacher that he was more than capable to do it on his own. During lunch, one of Finn's jock friends tripped him up, as he was looking for an empty table, and his salad ended up on his t-shirt while Finn and his friends were laughing at him. He was, for the first time, glad he was wearing such a simple outfit, because he would most definitely not mourn this t-shirt. On the bus home, not even the younger students would let him sit down next to either of them, until the bus driver put his foot down and ordered a freshman girl to remove her bag from the free seat next to her.

Carole was in the living room when he came home and thwarted his plan to sneak his soiled shirt upstairs before anyone could see it. He told her that one of the students must not have seen him when he put his foot in Kurt's way, but he could see it in her eyes that she didn't believe that it had been an accident. He excused himself quickly, and threw himself into the little homework they had been assigned the first day. Finn came in a couple of hours later and before he knew it Carole was calling him to dinner, which unfortunately his father insisted on being a family event every night.

Before heading into the dining room, he managed to corner Finn.

“Why did you tell your friends? I thought you didn’t want them to know you were living with a ‘homo’,” Kurt snarked. Finn looked uncomfortable.

“They have a right to know that they are going to share a locker room with a guy who’s into like their junk and stuff.”

Kurt wanted to throw up. He wasn’t a predator just because he was gay and he had zero interest in anyone who’d bully him for his sexuality.

“I wouldn’t touch you or your friends, not even if you were the last men on earth,” he hissed at Finn instead and turned on his heels.

***

Carole couldn't help but focus most of her attention on Kurt during dinner. The boy was quiet and withdrawn as he had been most of the summer, but there was a new sadness in his eyes.

"I'm really sorry about your shirt Kurt. I can't believe anyone would do this to you on your first day," Carole broke the uncomfortable silence.

Burt looked up from his roast beef. "What happened at school, Kurt?"

"Nothing. I tripped," Kurt quickly tried to deflect. Carole looked over to Finn who was shoveling food into his mouth as if it were his last meal.

"I didn't see anything," he muttered. Carole narrowed her eyes. Her son had never been a good liar. Before Carole could say anything, Burt interrupted her.

"You don't want to explain to me why I got a phone call about you at the shop. The anonymous kind," Burt questioned his son.

Kurt looked stricken, but shook his head.

“Everyone at school knows he’s a homo," Finn butted in.

 Before Burt could accuse Kurt of anything, Kurt gave his father a defiant look.

"Well, they didn't get that from me. I didn't talk to anyone at that awful school. It was Finn's friends who "welcomed" me to the school."

Carole sighed. Of course it had been Finn. She really had to talk to Finn about not spreading rumors again.

"Finn."

"What?" Carole knew that tone. "My friends hang out here all the time and with the stuff he wears, no wonder they suspected," Finn tried to defend himself.

"And you thought you had to confirm their suspicion?" Burt was glaring at her son. Finn definitely looked confused now, probably because he wasn't used to Burt glaring at him.

"They are my friends. I can't just lie to them."

Carole sighed again. Finn, didn't even believe what he'd done was wrong.

"Finn, Kurt is your brother now. And it's his decision if he wants to tell people at school or not. Texas isn't the most accepting place, so you can't just run around and tell other people Kurt's business if Kurt doesn't tell you beforehand that it would be okay to do so."

What had she done wrong with Finn? She'd always tried to teach him right from wrong, but apparently the lessons didn't stick.

"Sorry, dude." Her son didn't look sorry at all.

***

It was lunch break at McKinley and Mercedes, Rachel and Blaine were huddled in front of a computer in an empty classroom. Kurt wasn't allowed to have his own laptop, but Carole had advised his boyfriend to join the school newspaper, so he could use the computers on campus. Blaine hadn't seen his boyfriend in what felt like forever, and he was worried by what he saw.

Kurt looked like he hadn't slept in days, he was wearing a simple graphic t-shirt and his hair was falling into his eyes. He wanted to ask Kurt what was wrong but he knew his boyfriend would probably try to downplay his problems so Blaine wouldn't worry about him.

So the three friends tried to distract Kurt with tales from McKinley. Rachel's biological mom had taken over choir, after their former teacher, Mr. Schuester had been asked to resign. Rachel wasn't very happy, because Mr. Schuester had given her all the solos, but the other students in the group had complained to the principal and therefore the history teacher was out and Rachel's mom, Shelby Corcoran had taken over.

"And she holds auditions for every song we're doing." Blaine heard Rachel complain. Not just being handed solos was new for Blaine as well, but he liked that he had to fight for what he wanted.

"At least you have choir. I mean I actually enjoy writing for the paper, so it's not so bad that I had to join a club to be able to use the Internet, but still. At least the people in the club tolerate me and keep their opinions about me to themselves."

Blaine hated that his boyfriend sounded so defeated. He would have loved to just jump onto the next plane, but they had decided to wait until Burt would go to some auto show in a few weeks.

"How's McKinley treating you so far," Kurt asked after Rachel and Mercedes had excused themselves.

"Not bad so far. Some of the girls were disappointed when I told them I'm gay, and the jocks haven't said anything since I threatened to join their precious football team if they didn't leave me alone. Now that they have a new coach who only lets people play who have decent grades, I might actually have had a chance."

"Too bad I can't pull something like this at McCallum. Finn's grades are terrible and he's not even a really good player, but their coach doesn't give a shit."

Blaine wanted to reach out and pull Kurt into a hug, but he settled on giving him a reassuring smile.

"Still no progress on the Finn front, then?"

"Nope, he keeps avoiding me or just laughs when his friends push me around. I can't believe I actually miss getting drinks thrown in my face. At least that didn't bruise."

"Have you told anyone about it?"

"What would it change if I did? It's not like my father would march into the school and threaten the principal."

The like my mom did was implied. Kurt looked down.

"I'm sorry you had to spend your lunch break listening to me bitch about school."

"Kurt, stop that. You know I want to hear about your day. It's my job as your boyfriend to worry about you. So please promise, that if it gets worse you'll talk to someone at school or tell Carole the truth about how bad it is."

Kurt wiped away a tear before he nodded.

"I've got to go. The club will be here soon. I love you."

 

Blaine blew his boyfriend a kiss before signing out. There had to be a way to help Kurt but he didn't know how yet.

***

     However hard he tried to blend in, things were just not looking up for Kurt. The bullying at McCallum was a lot more violent than it had been at McKinley and to escape the punches Finn's friends liked to throw, Kurt had started to stay behind at the library until the football team had left the school.

     He was trying so hard to stay strong, but at his new school he didn't have any friends, and at home Finn and his father awaited him.

     Kurt only felt save when he spent time with Carole and on days he managed to Skype his friends and boyfriend. He wanted to open up to Carole, but he was afraid she would just tell Burt and that would be the end of it.

     And he was glad Blaine was doing well at McKinley, but some days he was eaten up by jealously. The night before he had had another argument about his clothes with his father. Burt just didn't want to accept that it didn't matter what Kurt wore. He was being bullied anyway, whether he was wearing baggy jeans and t-shirts or his designer outfits.

     Kurt couldn't wait for next month when his father would travel to Houston for the weekend and Blaine would fly down to see him. He just had to get through the next three weeks.

***

     Finn didn't really understand why his mom liked hanging out with Kurt so much. Maybe because she had always wanted a daughter too and Kurt did all the things with her girls usually did. That had to be it.

     Finn wasn't a bad guy. He didn't actively participate in the bullying, because his mom would kill him if she ever found out, but if Kurt hadn't been his stepbrother he would have been first in line next to Patrick and James. If you were at the top you had to terrorize the masses to keep them quiet. Sometimes history class was actually quite useful.

     At first he found it strange that Kurt suddenly came home from school later than he did. He knew his stepbrother had joined some stupid club, but no one was at school longer than the sports teams. It took overhearing a conversation between his mom and Burt to figure out that Kurt was hiding out at school until the football team was gone. He was just glad the other losers at school weren't smart enough to hide from the jocks. It would destroy the natural order of things.

     He was surprised when Patrick came up to him one day after school and asked about Kurt. Unless they were having fun with Kurt, they usually avoided talking about him.

     "Haven't seen the fag around for a while. Is he hiding from me or something?" Patrick chuckled.

     "Yeah, maybe you're not his type," Finn joked but then quickly shut up when he saw the look on Patrick's face.

     "As if I want him to look at me. That's just sick."

     "Yeah, I know what you mean. My parents wanted me to share my room with him at first, but luckily my mom decided to give him his own room," Finn shuddered.

     No matter what Kurt had said, his stepbrother was probably just waiting for him to take his clothes off so he could take a peak at his junk. The only one he wanted to look at his junk was his girlfriend, who unfortunately only let him touch her when she wanted to reward him for good behavior.

     "Man, sucks for you. I guess you wished you didn't have to live with the homo."

     "Definitely. Ever since he moved here, things at home are tense. I get that Burt's not my real dad, but at least before Kurt I didn't have to share him."

     "Dude, what's with the girl talk?" Patrick interrupted. "What I wanna know is where the fag's been hiding?"

     Finn hated that Patrick mocked him about his feelings. But there wasn't much he could do. Without Patrick, he wouldn't be on top.

     "He's been hiding out in the library until we're done with practice and then he takes the bus home," Finn explained.

     "Thanks man."

     Finn was happy to help Patrick out when he could. Maybe Patrick and his friends would let him help planning the epic prank they would probably play on Kurt.

***

     Carole was fed up with Burt's attitude toward Kurt. Kurt was a sweet boy who had been dealt a crappy hand in life. Carole wouldn't have been surprised if the boy acted out after what had happened and was still happening to him, but Kurt was polite, helped her with dinner and took her shopping when Burt was at work.

She was also fed up because she always had to go behind her husband's back to make Kurt happy. Her coup d'état would happen in two weeks when Kurt's boyfriend would come down to visit while Burt and Finn were at an auto show in Houston. Carole had managed to convince Burt to take Finn with him, because Finn was interested in maybe taking over Hummel Tires and Lube one day.

She was pushing the chicken she'd been preparing for dinner into the oven, when Burt stormed into the kitchen, shoving what appeared to be the phone bill into her face.

"Do you know anything about that?" Burt asked and thrust the piece of paper into her hands.

"It's my phone bill," Carole answered dryly.

       "And why the hell are there calls to Ohio on your call log. I swear if that boy took your phone, he's gonna be grounded till he's thirty. I told him he wasn't allowed to call anyone up there without my permission."

Burt slammed the bill onto the kitchen counter. Carole took the bill and calmly put it into her purse.

"Kurt didn't take my phone without permission. I gave it to him." Burt looked stunned.

"Why would you do that? I thought we had agreed that Kurt couldn't call anyone without permission."

"Which I gave him."

Before Burt could launch into another angry tirade about phone privileges for Kurt, the phone rang. He was listening intently to what the other person on the line was saying before he paled. He thanked the person on the phone before he hung up.

"What's wrong?"

"Kurt's in the hospital. Someone beat him up after school. They wouldn't say how bad it was on the phone only that his brother was with him. Apparently he was the one who called the ambulance."

Carole was shocked. From time to time she had caught Kurt sneaking in with soiled clothes, but she never expected it to get that bad.

"Where are my car keys? We need to get to the hospital."

Carole emptied her purse onto the kitchen counter to locate her keys. When she had finally found them, she turned to Burt.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?"

     "Maybe, it's better if you went alone. You know he wouldn't want me there, and I wouldn't know what to say to him."

     Burt was staring at the clock on the wall. Carole turned around, turned off the oven and walked toward the front door. Before she left she turned around once more.

"Some day soon, you need to decide if you want to be Kurt's father or not. Because things can't stay the way they are now. What would it take for you to realize that? Losing your son for good?"

Carole left the house without waiting for her husband's answer. There was a child that needed her.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been told that Austin isn't like the rest of Texas (or the parts I've been to) but I didn't know that when I started writing the story and had to pick a city Burt would move to. Also, while a McCallum high school exists, this is a fictional high school with the same name. All resemblances to real people are purely coincidental.


	10. Lost and found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt 'hightails' it out of Texas just as Blaine arrives in Austin.

**Lost and Found**

     Kurt slowly became aware of his surroundings. First, he did inventory. His head felt like it was floating on clouds, there were bandages on his chest, and his left arm was in a sling. He tried to open his eyes again, and after a few seconds the blurry images finally took shape. Carole was sitting on a chair next to what he assumed was a hospital bed, clutching his hand tightly, as if she were afraid she would lose him if she let go.

Kurt had never wanted his mom as much as in this moment. She was supposed to be the one to hold his hand. He blinked away the tears and quickly looked away from Carole. Finn was standing in a corner, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. Finn. Kurt tried to sit up and tried to put some distance between him and the giant teen.

"Kurt, honey. You're in the hospital," Carole tried to calm him down. "You're safe now."

Kurt scoffed. What was Finn even doing here? He had been the one to text that practice finished early, and Kurt had walked right into the trap. He wanted to tell Finn to leave, but his tongue wasn't cooperating at the moment and all he managed was "What…?" Carole tried to push his bangs out of his eyes but he dodged her.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Kurt nodded, but he didn't know how he had ended up in the hospital. The last things he remembered before he must have passed out were sirens in the distance, cursing and his attackers as they ran away.

"How did I get here?" Carole looked over to Finn.

"Finn called 911 when he saw what was happening. The sirens must have chased away your attackers. Too bad the paramedics didn't get a good look."

So Finn was playing the hero, but still covering for his friends. Well, Kurt Hummel was done playing the victim. After all, no one pushed the Hummels around.

"I need to step out for a moment to make some calls. I'm sure your dad would like an update on your condition, as would other people."

She winked at him when she said that, so Kurt knew she was talking about Blaine. Of course his father hadn't cared enough to come to the hospital for him. He was probably mad that Kurt had allowed four overgrown football players to use him as punching bag.

When he looked up, Finn was still in the room.

"Why did you help me? Why not let them finish the job? After all, it was you who told me they were gone, when they were waiting for me in the parking lot."

Finn took a step closer to the bed, but Kurt raised his hand to stop him.

"Dude, I didn't know they would do that. I thought they would just prank you or something."

There was a brief moment of silence. Pranks. That is what Finn thought the bullying was. Either the jock was really that stupid, or he was a damn good actor.

"Patrick told me to get his bag from the locker room, but I couldn't find it there, and when I came out to tell him, I saw what they were doing and panicked. So I called 911 because I didn't want to get kicked off the team or suspended for something they did."

For a moment, Kurt had actually believed his stepbrother had helped him because he knew what his friends were doing was wrong, but Finn only wanted to save his own skin.

"You can't tell anyone who it was. They're going to make my life hell if they find out I called 911. Just say you got hit on the head and you can't remember what they look like and I'll say I didn't see their faces either."

Before Kurt could say something, Carole came back into the room. Kurt sat up straight in his bed and glared at Finn.

"Carole, I think I'm ready to talk to the police. About everything. Oh and Finn. It might be better for you if you told the truth for once."

Carole nodded and took out her phone again.

"Finn didn't participate, did he?" Carole asked in a small voice. Kurt shook his head

"This time he didn't.”

Carole swallowed before she dragged a livid Finn out of Kurt's hospital room.

***

Blaine was pacing the Hummel living room waiting to hear back from an airline. As soon as he had gotten off the phone with Carole, he had started looking into plane, bus and train tickets. His boyfriend was in a hospital at the other side of the country, in pain and probably scared, and there was nothing he could do. It was just so frustrating.

After cleaning the dishes, vacuuming the floor and cleaning out the refrigerator, Blaine finally had his plane ticket. The only early morning flight he could still get was departing from Fort Wayne and he would have to change his flight in Dallas. If everything worked out, Blaine could be at the hospital two hours after official visiting hours started.

After checking his email and printing out his ticket, he picked up his phone and called Carole to let her know when he would arrive in Texas. Carole had tried to convince him that it wasn't necessary for him to come and that they should stick to their original plan, but Blaine couldn't wait any longer.

So Carole had agreed to pick him up at the airport at 10:15 am and promised they would drive straight to the hospital afterward while Burt was at work. Now all he had to do was make it through the night and not miss his flight.

***

The police officer the station had sent over left shortly after eight and Kurt wanted nothing more than to just sleep. The man had told him that unless Finn confirmed his story, there wasn't much they could do, because it would be Kurt's word against the jocks'. His father had still not shown up, and for all he knew, Finn was currently telling his friends that he talked to the police and they might come back to finish the job.

 

There was nothing keeping him here. His father didn't even care enough to visit him in the hospital and the person he really needed a hug from would never ever be able to give him one again. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get back home where people actually cared about him.

Carole had thankfully brought him clothes, and for once he didn't mind his baggy jeans because it was easier to pull them over his bandaged ankle. Once dressed, he carefully stood up, and tried to take a few steps. His ankle and ribs were immediately protesting, but that was nothing some medication wouldn't take care of. He put his wallet into the remains of his backpack and after making sure that the coast was clear, made his way toward the exist.

Once outside, he hailed a cab, which drove him to the bus station. He picked up some over the counter painkillers at an open drugstore and after picking up a ticket for the 9:50 am bus to Dallas, sat down in a booth in the corner of a 24/7 diner where he promptly fell asleep with his head on the table.

Luckily, the sole waitress didn't kick him out and only woke him when people started coming in for their morning coffee. He gave her a generous tip and then made his way across the street to the bus terminal to hide out until the bus left.

By now, the hospital should have realized that he had left without permission. He swallowed a couple more painkillers once the pain got really bad, but at close to ten Kurt Hummel finally left Austin, just as Blaine's plane landed at the airport.

***

Burt was already gone when Carole left the house to pick up Blaine at the airport. The boy looked like he hadn't slept at all and was immediately bombarding her with questions about his boyfriend's condition. She told him about the dislocated shoulder, the broken and bruised ribs, the sprained ankle and the array of bruises covering his body and face.

She was glad he didn't ask her about the attackers because she had briefly spoken to the police officer after his interview with Kurt. She had tried to talk to Finn when she came home, but her son had locked himself into his room and pretended to be asleep when she had called his name. She just hoped the boy she raised was still somewhere in Finn and he would do the right thing.

When they arrived at the hospital, the parking lot was already filling up and she dropped Blaine off at the entrance, after telling him Kurt's room number, before she went looking for a parking space.

Twenty minutes later she finally made it onto Kurt's floor and as she rounded the corner she could here shouting. Burt was blocking Kurt's door trying to keep Blaine out.

"I don't know what you think you're doing here, but you're sure as hell not going in," Burt yelled.

A nurse was standing close by trying to get the two men's attention, but to no avail so far.

"I flew all the way down here. I need to see he's okay."

 

Blaine looked close to tears as he pleaded with Burt.

"It's you're fault he's in the hospital. If you hadn't corrupted him with this gay crap, no one would have felt the need to beat him up."

"If you hadn't dragged him to a place that's even worse than Ohio, no one would have gotten hurt at all," Blaine fired back.

Carole had about enough. "Both of you shut up. We are here for Kurt and all that shouting can't be good for him."

Both men froze and looked over to Carole who was glaring daggers at them. The nurse used the momentary quiet to get their attention again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. What I've been trying to tell you is that your son left the hospital some time last night. We're currently checking our security footage, but unfortunately we don't know yet what time he left."

"What? Have you called the police?" Blaine demanded.

"They wouldn't do anything anyway. It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet," Burt interrupted.

Carole took a closer look at her husband. He looked almost guilty.

"Why don't we try to call him and see where he is," Carole suggested before she took out her phone and dialed Kurt's number.

It rang twice before going straight to voice mail. When she tried with Burt's phone, the call was sent to voice mail straight away.

"You call him," Burt ordered pointing at Blaine who was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.

"You know I can't call his oh so special phone. You made sure of that," Blaine accused.

Wanting to prevent another shouting match Carole suggested that they best all went back to the house and started calling around from there.

***

They had searched for Kurt all afternoon but all they had found out was that Kurt didn't have any friends at school who could have taken him in and the writer's club hadn't heard from him either.

Carole had called the airport to check if Kurt had purchased a ticket and at first they had refused to check the passenger list, but after Carole had told them about Kurt's condition, they had relented and checked, but no Kurt Hummel was on any of the lists. Burt could only sit there and listen to his wife take charge while he felt utterly useless.

He could only repeat the words Carole had said to him last night in his mind. What if he had really lost his son for good? What if Kurt was lying somewhere in a ditch because he had tried to run away and didn't make it? He hadn't realized how much time had past until he heard his wife on the phone with the airport again, ordering two tickets to Indiana.

Before she could tell them the names of the passengers he took the phone and told them his instead of hers. Kurt was his responsibility after all. They were lucky to get two last minute tickets for a flight that would arrive in Fort Wayne close to midnight. They had all agreed that Kurt would probably try to get to Ohio somehow.

The drive to the airport was quite. Next to him Carole was still trying to reach Finn who was also still M.I.A, but it wouldn't be a first for Finn. Burt had no idea how he was supposed to spend the next six hours with that boy right next to him. Maybe he could pretend to be asleep on the plane. He was way in over his head.

***

Blaine had been relieved when Carole had agreed to fly up to Ohio with him to look for Kurt who still wasn't picking up his phone. It came as even more of a shock when Burt took Carole's phone and bought a ticket for himself instead of his wife.

How was he supposed to spend time with a man his boyfriend so clearly despised and was a known homophobe? Blaine couldn't just sit next to him and say nothing. He had never been good with prolonged silence and tended to fill it with his own rambling.

Thirty minutes into the flight he couldn't stand it anymore. He could tell by the way Burt's breathing was anything but even that the older man was just pretending to be asleep but Blaine didn't want to be ignored any longer. Maybe if he could get Kurt's father to talk to him, it would make things better for Kurt and his father.

"I saw some of your old football trophies at your house. What position did you play?" Blaine asked before he could chicken out.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the other man sit up and give him a curious look.

"You like football?"

"Yeah, would play too if I were taller. I used to play in Junior High until I came out. The team wasn't too happy about it and asked me "nicely" to quit the team?"

Burt raised an eyebrow at that. Blaine usually didn't like talking about his past, but maybe it would help opening up to Kurt's father.

"They beat me up one day after practice. I was home schooled for the rest of the semester and transferred to Dalton for my freshman year of High School."

Kurt's father definitely looked uncomfortable now.

"That why you don't live at home?" Blaine chuckled.

He was sure his parents had suspected something but had been in denial for a long time. When he had asked if he could finish his education at Dalton because of it's higher academic standard, his parents had loved the idea, especially because a lot of his father's business partners had sons attending as well and Blaine would be boarding there most of the year.

"By the time the ambulance arrived, the guys were gone and without any witnesses it would have been my word against theirs. So I told everyone it was a mugging gone wrong. But I hate that the guys never got punished for what they did. At least with Finn being a witness that shouldn't happen to Kurt."

They were both quiet for a moment, before Burt spoke up again.

"I'm sorry about that, you know. I never wanted anything like that for Kurt. To get attacked. I thought if he toned it down and kept quiet he would be safe. But you don't even look queer and they attacked you too."

Blaine hated it when people assumed he was less gay because he didn't look like people expected gay men to look like.

"Doesn't change the fact that I'm as gay as Kurt is and before you say anything – neither of us chose this for ourselves. It's just who we are and ever since I met Kurt I couldn't be happier about it."

They didn't talk anymore till the end of the flight and Blaine hoped he might have gotten through to Burt a little bit.

Kurt wasn't at the house when they arrived close to one in the morning but they hadn't really expected it. If Kurt had taken a bus or a train it would take him more than a day to get home. He really hoped they hadn't been wrong, and Kurt really was on the way back to Ohio.

***

Kurt was beyond exhausted when he finally got off the bus in Lima the next afternoon. He had to change buses twice and spending close to twenty-eight hours on a bus had not helped his healing process. He had slept on and off during the trip but he still felt like he'd been on his feet the entire time. All he wanted was get back to his house and sleep, but he needed to talk to his mom first before he surprised Blaine at school, where he knew Blaine had choir Thursday afternoons.

He asked the cab driver, who had driven him to the cemetery, to wait for him and then slowly made his way over to his mom's grave. Kurt hadn't been here since the funeral nearly four month ago, but there were fresh flowers that Kurt suspected Blaine had brought. He carefully lowered himself to the ground, not caring for once if his clothes got dirty. He had no idea what to do now. He didn't believe in God, so praying was out. Maybe he could just talk to her.

"Hi Mom, it's Kurt. I just wanted to tell you that I miss you so much. The last months without you have been horrible. Burt forced me to move to Texas and I just ran away because I got beat up badly at school. I wish you could hold you right now. Burt's wife Carole is nice, but she isn't you."

Kurt drew a shaky breath. He couldn't break down now.

"I guess Blaine has come to visit you too. He always said he wanted you to be his mom, but was to embarrassed to tell you."

Kurt couldn't stop the tears anymore. Why did all those awful things have to happen to him? He wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"If you were here you'd know what to do. I now I promised I was going to stay strong and not let others get to me, but I don't know how much more I can take. I can't go back there, Mom. They're going to kill me, if I come back."

Kurt knew he must be quite the spectacle by now. He needed to leave. He needed someone to hold him in his arms and tell him it was going to be okay. Even if it wasn't.

The cab driver sent him a sympathetic look when his saw his red rimmed eyes as he climbed back into the cab and offered him a tissue that Kurt gratefully accepted. Once he deemed himself presentable enough he gave the driver McKinley's address.

He could already hear singing as he approached the choir room. An unfamiliar woman stood in the front, running scales with the class. He could see Rachel and Mercedes and some other familiar faces, but couldn't find Blaine. His ex-girlfriend, who was standing close to another girl, was the first who spotted him and immediately dragged him into the choir room.

Before Kurt knew what was happening, he was being bombarded with questions but eventually he was told that Blaine had flown down to Texas to visit him in the hospital. Rachel lent him her phone to call Blaine but all he got was his voice mail. He couldn't help it as tears started streaming down his face yet again. Blaine had gone all the way to Texas and now he couldn't reach him without having to call Carole first.

Before he knew it, his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. Rachel's mom, Shelby, insisted he’d visit the school nurse, but luckily he convinced the nurse that he had just forgotten to take his meds and would be all right as soon as he took them. When Rachel offered to take him back to her house, he agreed because he didn't want to be alone at his house and Blaine still hadn't called back.

***

Even though he was dead tired he just couldn't fall asleep in Rachel's guest bedroom. So at two thirty in the morning he left her a note, borrowed her car keys and thanked his lucky star that he was still able to drive as he made his way home.

The spare key was where his mom had left it and he made his way downstairs to his bedroom as quickly as he could with his injuries. He didn't bother with turning on the light, carefully took off his shirt and crawled into his bed in the pajama bottoms Rachel had lent him and then promptly screamed, because someone was already in his bed.

Before he could get his bearings, the light was turned on as he father came down the stairs brandishing a baseball bat, while a very confused and sleepy looking Blaine sat up next to him.

 


	11. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt and Blaine reunite and Burt decides what to do about the future.

**Homecoming**

Burt had gotten up early and was still on the phone with Carole when Blaine came upstairs. He didn't really understand why the boy had stayed in Kurt's bedroom when he had his own room in the house. Surely, Elisabeth hadn't gone as far as to allow the two boys to share a room. Luckily, Carole interrupted his train of thoughts and after a quick goodbye he hung up the phone and pointed to the coffee on the table. The kid was still hovering in the doorway when Burt told him to grab a cup of coffee.

"Any news?" Blaine asked while pouring some coffee.

"Carole went down to the bus terminal, but the lady at the ticket counter said she wasn't working yesterday. She did tell her though that if Kurt took a bus he wouldn't be here before some time this afternoon, unless he hitchhiked or took a train or rented a car. I just don't know. Maybe he's still in Texas after all."

Burt wasn't used to feeling helpless. He usually was a hands-on kinda guy.

"It worries me that Carole hasn't heard from him either or that he didn't try to contact me," Blaine told him.

It worried Burt too, but he didn't want to tell the kid that.

"He probably hasn't been able to get to a phone or something like that. He's gonna show up somewhere. Probably when we least expect it."

Burt didn't want to talk about it anymore, especially after spending two hours on the phone with his wife, who kept reminding him that the mess they were in was all his fault.

He told Blaine to go to school but the boy just shook his had and told him he wasn't his father, so he took care of some things in the house that needed fixing up while Blaine was cleaning the house to keep himself busy. They ate lunch in silence, while Burt tried to figure Blaine out. He didn't look any different than Finn's friends, he liked sports and wasn't much of a cook either. Burt wondered whether it would be easier for him to get along with Kurt, if Kurt were more like Blaine; less flamboyant and more masculine.

In the afternoon Blaine's phone rang multiple times but the kid never picked up.

"Aren't you going to get that? Sounds important," he couldn't help but ask as the phone rang yet again.

"It's just my friend Rachel. She probably just want to know why I didn't come to choir and I'm not in the mood to deal with her right now."

Burt had never met Rachel, but he had heard a lot about her. After all, officially that girl had been his son's girlfriend for nearly two years.

"Maybe you should let her know what's going on. Aren't they close?"

"I'll call her tomorrow when we know more. There's another bus coming in tomorrow at eight and I thought I'd drive to the station and check if Kurt's on it. Just in case you wanted to come with," the kid trailed off.

Apparently Burt wasn't the only one who thought their situation was incredibly strange.

Burt decided to call it a night early and for the second time had to walk up to his former bedroom. It had been a shock to walk into the room at first, because nothing had been changed. The furniture was still in place and a faint smell of Elisabeth's favorite perfume lingered in the air.

He had had trouble sleeping the night before and again fell into a fitful sleep. A short time later, he was woken up by a loud scream coming from the basement where he knew Blaine camped out. What if someone had broken into the house? Burt quickly made his way downstairs and prayed that his baseball bat was still where he had left it all those years ago.

He grabbed the bat from the supply closet, opened the door to the basement and turned on the lights before quickly making his ways downstairs while brandishing the baseball bat. Well, he couldn't have been more surprised by the site that greeted him.

Blaine was sitting up in bed, his hair curly and unkempt, looking around in confusion. Half on the bed and half off the bed was his son. Kurt’s left arm was in a sling and because he was shirtless, Burt could also see the bandages around his ribs and the bruises on his back.

Burt dropped the bat and tried to rush over to his son, but Kurt flinched when he approached, and Burt immediately stopped in his track. He couldn't deal with this in the middle of the night. All three of them needed sleep, and Kurt needed a doctor first thing in the morning.

"Kurt I'm glad we found you. Blaine, please go upstairs to your room. We all had a hard couple of days and could do with some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

Blaine looked conflicted like he didn't want to anger either Kurt or Burt.

"Five minutes, Blaine," he called over his shoulder as he made his way back upstairs to his former bedroom.

He didn't have the energy to stay up and check that Blaine slept in his own room, so he just sent a quick text to Carole telling her Kurt was safe and then promptly fell asleep.

***

As soon as Burt left the room, Blaine pulled Kurt fully onto the bed careful of his many injuries and wrapped his arms around him. The last two days had been hell, not knowing where Kurt was. As soon as he was released from the hug, Kurt pressed his lips to Blaine's and they ended up kissing passionately until Blaine pulled away because he was sure his five minutes were up.

Kurt tried to convince him to stay with him, but Blaine didn't want to upset the truce he and Kurt's father silently seemed to have agreed on and so, for the first time in months, he slept in his own bedroom. When Blaine got up the next morning only Burt was in the kitchen.

"I'm taking Kurt to the ER this morning. You should go to school," Kurt's father said while Blaine filled his cup with coffee.

He hadn't planned on going to school now that he had Kurt back, but he also understood that Kurt's father wanted to have some time to talk to his son alone. He nodded and quickly prepared some sandwiches to take to school with.

"I'll just go downstairs and tell him," Blaine told Burt as he left the kitchen.

***

Kurt woke up to a hand stroking his cheek. At first he thought he was still dreaming until he remembered the previous night's events.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I have to go back to school today. Your dad wants to take you to the ER after breakfast and I'll come home as soon as my last class is over," Blaine said before he dropped a quick kiss on Kurt's lips.

Kurt turned his head.

"Morning breath," he mumbled, his cheeks turning red.

His boyfriend leaned in and kissed him again, this time deepening the kiss.

"Don't care. I just got you back and I'm not losing you again. I'll get an apartment down there if I have to. Your dad isn't going to keep us apart any longer."

One look into Blaine's eyes convinced Kurt that his boyfriend really meant everything he just said. He gladly accepted Blaine's help when he got dressed and barely protested when Blaine carried him up the stairs. Kurt could see his father outside bent over his Navigator and quickly ate some breakfast while they were still alone.

Because they only had one car - his mom's car had been totaled in the accident, and his father had arrived with Blaine - they had to drop off Blaine at school first before they could drive to the hospital. Kurt wanted to protest at first and tell his father that he didn't need to see a doctor, but in the end the desire for proper pain medication won out. Burt still hadn't really said anything and after a while Kurt couldn't take it any longer.

"I'm not going back. I can't go back. I know how these things work. The police might question them and then they return to school where they are going to make the person pay that told on them. And next time I won't get so lucky. Is that what you want?"

Kurt hadn't meant to say all that but he couldn't keep it in any longer. If his dad made him go back, Patrick, James and the two nameless meatheads would find him and make him pay for talking to the police. There wouldn't be a fancy private school nearby that would protect him from the Neanderthals that had threatened him.

Kurt didn’t even realize he was crying until his father handed him a tissue.

"I'll talk to Finn. Get him to tell the truth."

"Don't bother. People like us don't get justice in cases like that."

Burt flinch and Kurt wondered what that was about.

"We haven't decided anything yet. About what's gonna happen. Carole and I are going to talk while you're with the doctor. I…"

Kurt didn't know what else his father had been trying to say, because they arrived at the hospital before he could ask.

***

"He just went in. The doctor said it's probably going to be a while. They want to take another x-ray of his ribs to check he didn't make it worse when he ran away."

Burt sat down on an uncomfortable orange plastic chair in the waiting room while he brought Carole up to speed.

"So what now? Finn's still refusing to talk and the school called because he hasn't come to school since the attack," his wife told him.

"I don't know what's best in this situation. I never expected to have to deal with stuff like that," Burt admitted.

"Well neither have I, but we have to do what's best for the kids; for both of them. If we stay in Austin we could try and send them to a school in another district, but I'm afraid it wouldn't change much."

Carole sounded tired, even on the phone. Burt took off his baseball cap and rubbed his balding head. They had passed the shop he used to work at on their way to the hospital and the for sale sign had still been there. Maybe they did need a fresh start.

"How would we even do that? Moving to Lima, I mean? School has already started. You've got your job. I guess Lou could manage the shop for me, but what about everything else. We would need a bigger house." Could he really ask Carole to uproot her life for him?

"I can quit my job any time Burt. You know I don't really care about it. I could fly up and start looking for houses while you take care of everything in Austin. That would also give us time to sort out the mess Finn has made."

How could his wife sound so sure all the time?

"Promise we'll get through this?"

"I'll pack some bags and try to get a flight for Saturday or Sunday. Finn's helping at the shop on the weekend so he should be fine on his own for a bit. You do what you need to do in Lima and then we'll talk some more when you are back in Austin."

Burt nodded before remembering that his wife couldn't see him.

"Sounds good. At least Kurt will be happy now."

He was about to say goodbye and end the phone call when Carole stopped him.

"One more thing, Burt. I know you don't like it but I can't do it any other way. I want Blaine to move in with us. Kurt's mother took him in when he had nowhere else to go and as a mother I can't just let a sixteen year old continue to live on his own, legal adult or not."

Burt did not want his son and that boy under one roof, but he knew that Carole would put her foot down this time.

"Fine. I'll talk to the boys tonight. But you make sure when you go house hunting that their rooms are as far from each other as possible."

Carole laugh before she hung up. What was he getting himself into? It was easy to spend time with Blaine yesterday because the kid at least made an effort when he talked to him and kept out of people's ways when they needed space. Living with Blaine was easy. But having Blaine, Kurt and Finn under one room practically screamed disaster.

***

Two hours later Kurt was finally done. Fortunately, his trip across the country hadn't aggravated his injuries and as soon as they filled his prescription he would have proper pain medication. The doctor told him he was allowed to go back to school as long as he didn't do any heavy lifting or participate in any sports. At first he had felt relieved, before he remembered he had no idea what would happen now.

His father was still sitting where Kurt had left him and together they left the hospital to fill his prescription. It was still too early to pick up Blaine from school, so they drove to a little diner, Kurt remembered from his childhood. He wanted to talk to his father about what would happen to him now, but Burt seemed to be in his own little world.

After they had eaten, his father excused himself to make a phone call but Kurt couldn't hear what he was saying, because of the baby crying at the next table. They were back in the car when Burt finally spoke up.

"I have to take care of something before we drive to school. We'll you be okay to wait in the car for a bit?"

Kurt nodded. He was curious to find out what his father had to take care of. They stopped in front of a familiar looking building and Burt got out of the car and went around back. It took him a few moments, but then he remembered why the place looked familiar. When he'd been little his father had taken him to work once or twice but Kurt had never been a fan of dirt. What was Burt doing here? He got his answer when they went back to McKinley. They arrived a little early and his father insisted on coming inside with him. Burt went straight to the principal's office and told the secretary that he wanted to register his sons. He received the necessary forms, and Kurt helped his father fill them out because Burt knew next to nothing about him.

Blaine came up to them a few minutes later and Kurt hugged Blaine tightly in the middle of a hallway at McKinley. Blaine invited him to stay for choir, but Kurt just smiled at his boyfriend and told him it could wait till Monday.

***

Dinner was a tense affair, but Blaine couldn't care less. Kurt was staying in Lima and he would move in with him once Carole had found a house for them. Burt was still explaining some of the details, but Blaine was barely paying attention. All he could do was stare at Kurt who squeezed the hand his was holding under the table when he caught Blaine staring.

Blaine was so caught up in staring lovingly at Kurt that he only caught the tail end of one of Kurt's questions.

"…Finn?" Blaine had totally forgotten about the giant. How would that work if all three of them had to stay under one roof? Kurt had tried all summer to talk to Finn without any success and from what he had overheard Finn had somehow been involved in Kurt's attack. Of course he didn't know any details because he and Kurt hadn't had time to talk about it yet, but even if Finn hadn't caused Kurt's attack there were still a lot of things Finn had allowed his friends to do to Kurt and seemed to have enjoyed watching.

Blaine did believe that prejudice was just ignorance, but he wasn't sure if he even wanted to try with Finn again, after everything the teen had done to Kurt.

Burt was still talking, and if Blaine wanted answers he really had to pay attention.

"… take him to the station first thing Monday morning to give a statement if he wants to or not. Carole and I thought it best if he stayed in Austin with me until everything is sorted out with school, the shop and our house."

"What are you going to do with it?" Blaine couldn't help but be curious.

"Lou's wife, that's the guy who's managing the shop for me in Austin, is pregnant again, so I offered to rent out the house to them. I put down an offer for the shop I used to work at here in Lima today. I've been wanting to expand for a while, because Austin was going really well, so yeah, that's that."

They didn't talk much more at the dinner table after that, and while Blaine took care of the dishes and Kurt called Mercedes and Rachel, Kurt's dad was on the phone with Carole discussing her arrival.

***

Carole hung up the phone and continued packing the things she would most likely need until Burt moved the rest of their stuff. She had managed to get a flight first thing Saturday morning and Burt would fly back in the morning as well. With all the flying they were doing at the moment, she thought, they should have gotten one of those airline cards.

She had just carried her second suitcase downstairs, when the front door opened and Finn came in. "

What's with the suitcases, mom?" her son asked her as soon as he saw her.

"Sit down, Finn. We have a lot to talk about."

She motioned for him to join her on the living room couch. Carole spent the next half hour explaining everything that had happened and what Burt and her had decided would happen now. Finn tried to interrupt her a couple of times but she told him to just listen until she was done.

"That's bullshit, mom. I don't want to move. And how long until you decide it's not working out and were moving back here?"

Carole had expected this wouldn't go over too well.

"You haven't been to school for the past days, you're avoiding your friends – friends who put your brother in the hospital – and you're most definitely not the boy I raised anymore."

It was time she played the guilt card.

"I want you to think good and hard if this is the sort of person you really want to be. Someone who has to be afraid of his own friends because of his actions. This is your chance for a fresh start as well. To become a better person. A son I can be proud of again."

Carole left him at that. Burt had promised to talk to Finn once he got back from Lima, and she just hoped that Finn would listen to at least one of them.

 


	12. Tabula Rasa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Lima, Carole bonds with Kurt and Blaine, while in Austin, Burt and Finn have a talk and pack up the house.

**Tabula Rasa**

_Lima, OH, October 2, 2010_

When Carole arrived at the Hummel home late Saturday morning, she found Kurt and Blaine snuggled together on the living room couch while a movie Carole didn't know played in the background. Both boys looked up when she entered the living room and Blaine immediately tried to put some distance between him and Kurt.

"I just wanted to drop off my suitcases real quick. No need to get up," she tried to assure them.

"Did you get here alright? I could have picked you up from the airport," Blaine, who at that point had already gotten up and was holding one of her suitcases, asked.

"The two of you deserved some time alone after everything…", she trailed of guiltily. "Kurt, where do you want me to put my suitcases? I know your dad slept in your mom's bedroom, but I wanted to ask you first if that was okay," Carole asked instead.

"Blaine could just share my room and then you could have his." Kurt gave her his best puppy dog eyes, but this wasn't her first day as a mother.

"Did your mother allow you two to share a room?" she countered, hoping the answer wasn't actually yes.

"Yes," Kurt said the same time as Blaine said "No." She raised an eyebrow at both of them.

"Fine," her stepson relented. "She would have let us share during summer break."

"Okay, then it's settled. Everyone sleeps in their own room until further notice, and I can stay on the couch down here if that would make you more comfortable," Carole told Kurt who looked conflicted and seemed to struggle with the answer. That was answer enough for her.

"The living room it is," she said cheerfully. "You two get back to your movie," she added as she took back her suitcases and moved them into a corner. "I'm going to drive around for bit to get a feeling for the neighborhood and check if there are any houses for sale."

Carole ushered Blaine back to the couch and made him sit down.

"I'd really like to have dinner with the two of you tonight, so we can all get to know each other a little better. Unless you already have plans, of course."

"Our friends Rachel and Mercedes wanted to come over tonight," Kurt told her as he tried to snuggle up to Blaine again without upsetting his injuries.

"Then invite them too. If we're all going to live together, it's only right to meet your friends."

She smiled at both of them before grabbing the keys to her rental car.

"I'll be back around six. I haven’t checked your fridge yet, so maybe we can just order take out when your friends get here."

The boys nodded in her direction before turning back to the television. She checked again that she had her keys, phone and a map and left the house.

***

As soon as Carole closed the front door, Blaine put his arm around Kurt and kissed him deeply.

"I can't wait to go to school with you again," Blaine whispered against his lips.

"You know we can't do that at school. Even if McKinley has really changed. But maybe it was me who'd been the problem."

Why else did no one at school push Blaine around or call him ugly names. At least Blaine had told him that it hadn't happened anymore since the first day of school.

”Hush you. Coach Beiste really cleaned up the football team. If your GPA isn't good enough you're off the team. At lot of the Neanderthals have lost their pull at school because they're not wearing their precious letterman jackets anymore."

That was a welcome change, because that meant Finn wouldn't be allowed to join the football team unless he miraculously suddenly got better grades. Because he had taken mostly AP classes in addition to the two senior classes he didn't really know how hard normal classes were at McCallum, but he assumed they hadn't been much more difficult that the ones at McKinley. Before he could say anything on the topic, the phone rang though.

"You want me to get that?" Blaine asked.

"Could you just get me the phone? It might be Burt since my cell is still off."

There was no reason for him to turn on his mobile phone because he could only call people he didn't want to talk to apart from Carole.

Blaine got up from the couch and a moment later the phone was held out for him.

"Kurt Hummel speaking," Kurt answered.

He had stopped saying just hello because people more often than not thought he was his mother and it had been especially hard after the funeral when people had called the house who didn't know his mom had passed.

"This is Mark Allan from the auto repair shop on W Elm. Can I talk to your dad?"

"I'm sorry, my father went back to Texas this morning. You should try his cell if you have his number."

"Thanks, kid. Will do."

Blaine shot him a questioning look as he hung up the phone.

"The guy from the garage Burt wants to buy," Kurt explained. Blaine raised one of his eyebrows.

"What?"

"You still call your father Burt?"

"Until he can learn how to act like a father, I'm not going to treat him like one. And besides, you spent two days alone with him and still call him Mr. Hummel even though he seems to like you much more than he likes me."

Definitely wouldn't be a first. People always liked Blaine better, because he was charming and generally nice to everyone, even people who didn't deserve it.

"You know that's not true. He was probably just being polite because he needed me while we were looking for you."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Blaine gave him a sympathetic smile and took his good hand to help him up from the couch.

"Come on, we have a couple more hours before Carole gets back. How about I make us some sandwiches and we eat them out back. I can build us a fort out of sheets so you can lie down comfortably."

Kurt couldn't help but smile at his goofy boyfriend. Blaine wouldn't be Blaine if he didn't cite a Katy Perry lyric at least once a day.

***

Carole had a productive afternoon. She applied for a job a local coffee shop and talked to the realtor she'd spoken with after Elizabeth’s funeral. The woman agreed to show Carole a couple of houses first thing Monday morning. Afterward she went grocery shopping and took a walk in a park close to the house to give Kurt and Blaine a little more time alone.

She liked being back in the Mid West especially because she had grown up in Decatur, Illinois and had only moved to Texas after her high school graduation because she had gotten pregnant with Finn, and Finn's father had decided to join the army to support her and the baby. Her mother hadn't been too happy, but supported her nevertheless and when her mom had moved to Arizona shortly after Finn's father's death she hadn't had any reason to return to Illinois and had stayed in Texas where she had met Burt after her car had broken down.

Once she was done with her trip down memory lane she headed back to the house to spend the evening with the boys and their friends. When she stepped inside, she couldn't find anyone at first until she heard laughter coming from the backyard. The boys and two girls she recognized from the cemetery were sitting on pillows and what looked like Kurt's comforter, listening to music coming from one of those apple things and occasionally singing along. They all sounded great together and she now understood why Kurt had been so down when he had found out his school didn't have a music program. She wondered for a second if Burt knew how talented his son was. She watched them for a while before one of the girls, she thought her name was Rachel, spotted her.

"You can come closer if you want to hear me sing," the girl said, earning her an eye roll from her friends.

"That's Carole, Rachel," Kurt interrupted her. "She is Burt’s wife."

Carole just smiled, but she had hoped that by now she was more than just the wife. She never wanted to replace Kurt's mother because she knew that wasn't even possible, but she had hoped she was considered a friend, someone Kurt could rely on.

Kurt must have noticed her expression and the look on his friends' faces because he quickly added.

"Carole's okay. She's an ally."

He made it sounded as if they were in a war, with him and her at one side and Burt and Finn on the other. She just hoped they could find a way to bury the hatchet somehow.

***

Dinner was nothing like it had been the day before. Rachel and Mercedes were telling stories about a younger Kurt that Blaine loved while Kurt glared at his friends. They asked Carole about herself to make her feel included and even Blaine shared some of his better childhood memories. If it would be just the three of them living together it would be great, but Blaine knew it wasn't possible unfortunately. Carole might not like her son very much at the moment, but she would never leave him behind. Even Kurt's father was better than his own, because Mr. Hummel at least tried to do what he thought was best for his son instead of just abandoning him. His own father would never have uprooted his family just to make his life easier. After Blaine had been attacked they could have moved somewhere else, but Dalton had worked out great for his parents because they could send their son away.

Kurt seemed to have realized that he had stopped smiling somewhere along the way because suddenly there was a hand on his knee squeezing it gently. Blaine knew things wouldn't stay like that, considering Burt and Finn's impending arrival, but maybe they could all find a way to make it work. At least he wasn't alone anymore.

***

In the end, the girls decided to stay the night and after Blaine promised that he wouldn't sleep in Kurt's bed he was allowed to join the sleepover in the basement. Kurt couldn't remember the last time he had that much fun, staying up all night talking to his friends. It made him realize how lonely that last couple of months had been.

Kurt relished that he had at least part of his wardrobe back and even though it was hard to get into some of his pieces because of his injuries, he spent most of Sunday trying to find the perfect outfit for his first day back at McKinley. Burt would probably not be back for at least another week and Kurt intended to make the most of it clothes wise just in case his father tried to get him into "boy clothes" again.

Carole kept out of their way after the girls left with the excuse that she wanted to explore Lima some more and therefore Kurt spent a lazy Sunday afternoon with his boyfriend interrupted only by the occasional fashion show that usually ended with them kissing on Kurt's bed because Blaine found one of his outfits particularly hot. For the first time in forever Kurt was actually looking forward to getting up in the morning and even though Carole had told him he could stay home from school a little longer, he didn't want to wait any more. He wanted to show the world that Kurt Hummel was back. Maybe he should wear that top hat after all.

 

_Austin, TX, October 2, 2010_

Burt invited Lou over to the house after he arrived back in Austin and they spent most of the afternoon hashing out the details concerning the shop and the house. Finn, as promised, was working which gave Burt time to think about what he wanted to say to his stepson.

Burt had played football in High School as well and it had given him and his friends free reign over the school. He had never thought about it before, but he couldn't imagine that McKinley had changed much since he attended. Maybe Elisabeth had taken Kurt out of school because of the way he had been treated there. What set Burt and his friends apart from the boys who played football at McCallum though, was that they had known there were lines you didn't cross. You never really hurt someone, because you didn't want to ruin your future because of something like that. It had mostly been name calling if the other guys weren't what Burt and his friends wanted them to be. He knew that calling Finn out on his behavior was hypocritical, but the kid couldn't go on like that. Even Burt recognized that the boys had taken things too far.

"Burt, you listening to me? What you thinking 'bout so hard?" Lou interrupted his train of thoughts.

"I need to talk to Finn about some things he'd done at school that aren't okay, but I don't know what to say. I wasn't much better in school either."

"Just tell 'im what you did and why you think that's wrong." As if it were that easy.

"Thanks Lou. Alright lets talk about the house."

***

Finn dreaded going home. Burt was back and his mom had told him that he and his stepfather would have a talk. It was probably just about skipping school, because he couldn't imagine Burt getting mad about the other stuff they pulled at school. And yeah, maybe he was secretly relieved he didn't have to go back to school, especially after the police had questioned his friends. He hadn't answered any of their calls and they'd probably realized by now that he'd been the one to call 911. Patrick could be cool and all but you didn't want to make him angry. And sending the police after him must have made him very angry. So Finn had thought it best not to go to school for a few days to let things blow over. By next week, there would be another scandal and the incident in the parking lot would be forgotten. Finn would try to avoid being alone with Patrick and everything would turn out fine. That was yesterday. Today he knew he wouldn't return to McCallum but move across the country because of his stepbrother. So Finn was conflicted. If Kurt hadn't got beaten up they wouldn't move, but if Finn hadn't told Kurt that football practice ended early he probably wouldn't have been beat up and they wouldn't have to move. Man, his life had been a lot easier before Kurt had shown up in Austin.

***

After Lou left, Burt picked up some cardboard boxes and started packing up the rest of Carole's things. He was just about to finish putting the last of her books into a box when he heard the front door open. No more stalling. It was time to sit Finn down, and have a little talk man to man. He abandoned the half full box and called out to his stepson who appeared in the living room a few seconds later.

"Get cleaned up while I order us some pizza. You and I need to talk."

Finn gave him a quick nod and made his way upstairs. Burt quickly ordered two meatlovers pizzas and put the rest of Carole's CDs away. They ate dinner in silence, pretty much a first for them and after they had cleared the table, he told Finn to wait for him in the backyard. Whenever his father had wanted to have a talk man to man, he would grab two beers and they would talk outside on their porch. He just hoped that if Carole found out she wouldn't be too mad that he gave her sixteen-year-old son beer. He grabbed two cans of that light stuff they had bought after his doctor had told him he was worried about his blood pressure and high cholesterol and carried them outside where Finn was already waiting. He handed the boy one of the beers and then motioned for him to sit down next to him on the stairs.

"You know why I want to talk to you?" he asked after taking a long drag.

Finn nodded next to him. "I'm sorry about skipping school. I just didn't want to go back there when everyone was still talking, you know?"

"I'm not happy about you skipping school but I understand that you've been scared, okay? So, first thing Monday morning, you and I are going down to the station and you're telling them everything that happened. I don't care that neither Kurt nor you are going back to that school, but it's the right thing to do. I doubt they'll get punished, but I have to try at least."

“I really don't want to talk to the police," Finn mumbled

Burt took a glance at Finn. He was staring at the floor refusing to meet Burt's eyes.

"I guess that's because you did some things you're not proud of and know you are in trouble."

Finn's head shot up. "I've only done what everyone else has. You've been on the team, you know what it's like." Burt nodded.

"When I was in high school we used to take kids' lunch money or locked them into the janitor's closet for a bit. I'm pretty sure wedgies were the worst thing we did. And we called people nasty names when we didn't think they were manly enough."

He got Finn's attention now.

"You know, I used to think exactly like you. That what we were doing was just normal behavior for high school and that we were allowed to do that because we played football. I busted out my knee in JC and I thought my life was over because if I didn't play football anymore who was I then?"

Burt paused for a moment.

"What you and your friends were doing is wrong and in the real world you would get arrested for assault. And just because you play football doesn't mean you are exempt from punishment."

Finn was looking scared now.

"Now, I know that you didn't hit Kurt yourself, but you still just stood by and let your brother get hurt, and I think that's about as bad as if you had thrown the first punch."

"Why are you suddenly defending Kurt? It's not like what you've been doing was that much better," Finn argued back.

"I thought that if I could get Kurt to blend in, he wouldn't get hurt. If people wouldn't realize how different he was the moment they saw him they wouldn't harass him. I told you and Kurt to keep it a secret at school, because I was afraid something like this would happen. I thought that if I could get him to behave normally, his life would be easier. If he just made an effort. I honestly don't know what's what anymore when it comes to this gay stuff, but we really don't have much of a choice but figure it out together."

Burt honestly didn't know what to believe anymore. He'd always believed that Kurt was the way he was because of the way his mom had raised him – allowing him to wear dresses and play with dolls instead of toy cars and playing in the mud. But that Blaine kid liked the stuff Finn liked and he was still into dudes. And it couldn't really be just rebellion either if the kid had risked getting kicked out. And his own son couldn't be as weak as he looked if managed to travel across the country on his own with his injuries. Like he told Finn, they had to figure it all out together somehow.

"I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, you and I will start packing up the house. Think about what you want to take with you and what we can put in storage here. And Monday, after we've gone down to the station, we'll drop by McCallum and get the papers for your transfer and you can say goodbye if you want to. I want to get you to Lima as soon as possible, because with your grades you really can't afford to miss much more school."

He didn't wait for Finn's answer and finished his beer on the way back inside. They were given the chance for a fresh start. Now he just had to figure out how not to screw it up.

 


	13. A Fresh Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's moving weekend for the Hummel-Hudsons and Blaine. But will it go well?

**A Fresh Start**

It had been three weeks since that fateful weekend when it had been decided that Kurt was allowed to stay in Lima, and according to the doctor his injuries were healing up nicely. Kurt had joined choir again and while he still wasn't allowed to do any dancing while they were busy preparing for Sectionals, he was beyond happy to have music in his life again.

Finn had joined them in Lima a week later and to avoid having to share a room with him, he'd finally given Carole permission to sleep in his mother's bedroom so Finn could take the living room. The giant teen had been nicer to him than he'd ever been before, but he was still avoiding being alone with him or Blaine.

Blaine, ever the people pleaser, had been trying to bond with Kurt's stepbrother by offering to play video games with him, but Finn had refused the offer each time so far, saying he had to catch up on school. Kurt knew Finn definitely needed to catch up, but more often than not he heard Finn play on his own when he thought everyone else was asleep.

Finn had tried to join the football team as soon as he had started at McKinley, but to Kurt's immense relieve coach Beiste had told Finn to come back when he had decent enough grades. It was nice for a change that Finn was miserable because nothing was going his way instead of Kurt.

Unfortunately, Finn's confession had been useless. The paramedics weren't able to identify Kurt’s attackers and in the end it had been his and Finn's word against the four jocks' who had given each other alibis. Finn had been the only one who had looked guilty because of the text he had sent Kurt, but wasn't charged with anything, because Kurt had told the officer in the hospital that Finn hadn't participated in the beating.

Burt had gotten Finn to tell the principal about all the stuff he and his friends had done at school and after his father had threatened the school - Kurt had been beyond surprised to hear that - the principal had suspended Patrick, James and four other football players for a week. Kurt hadn't been surprised that was all the justice he got.

His father was still in Austin but had told them he would come up in a few days for the weekend before Halloween to help them move into the house Carole had found for them. It had five bedrooms, one bathroom in the master bedroom, one in Kurt's room and two additional ones on each floor so that no one had to share. Even Kurt had to admit that he liked the new house with the big backyard and spacious kitchen, even though his room was smaller than the basement had been. They had bought some of the living room furniture from the previous owners, but Carole had promised to let him redecorate once he was healthy enough.

So far everything had gone relatively well, but who knew what adding Burt into the mix would bring.

***

Finn Hudson didn't like Lima. The city was smaller, he didn't know anyone apart from Kurt and Blaine who were surprisingly civil, and he didn't have his own car anymore and had to drive to school with the other two boys every morning, but at least they didn't make him take the bus.

He had tried to join the football team but the coach hadn't even let him try out after she had seen his transfer papers. The classes, fortunately, weren't any harder than those at McCallum and had some hot cheerleaders in them. He just didn't understand why some of them hung out with Kurt and Blaine. There was no way that those two were actually popular at school. The football players mostly left the other students alone and when Finn asked about that, he was told that two of the worst bullies had finally managed to graduate last year and the others were either in choir or afraid to be kicked off the team for bad behavior. Apparently the new coach was hell bent on destroying the natural order of things in that school.

Finn had also tried to join other teams, but was told he wasn't a good enough player to be let on during the school year and to come back next year. He felt oddly naked without his trusted letterman jacket and girls fawning over him. He had asked out a pretty blond cheerleader the first week who had flat out laughed in his face. Maybe Kurt was bad mouthing him, because girls were always flattered when he paid them attention.

His mom had asked why he didn't join show choir with his stepbrother and Blaine so they had at least something in common, but Finn couldn't stand to lose any more of his popularity than he already had. Not that he was popular at his new school. He was just the new kid, but other than that he wasn't any different than anyone else. His mom said that was a good thing, but he didn't get what was supposed to be good about being a nobody.

At least Burt would arrive in a few days and help them move the rest of their stuff into their new house. His room was nice, but he had been forced to take the one between Kurt and Blaine. He just hoped they weren't gonna be really loud all the time.

***

The Friday before Halloween, the doorbell rang a bunch of times while Finn was making a sandwich in the kitchen. A few moments later he heard a lot of girls entering the house. Maybe one of them would be interested in him. He walked out into the living room and came face to face with the blond cheerleader, Quinn, who had rejected him.

"What's going on?" he couldn't help but ask.

Kurt stepped around the girls before answering.

"The glee girls and I are going to have a pre-Halloween sleepover in the basement to work on our costumes."

Finn noticed that a few of the girls gave him strange looks.

“That's my stepbrother Finn. He just moved here from Texas with his mom and my father,” Kurt introduced him then.

At least he didn't receive any hostile glares from the girls after Kurt’s introduction. Kurt must have kept his mouth shut about him after all. If the situation were reversed he would have bitched to his friends about his brother or he would have, had they been interested.

"If it's a girls sleepover, what are you and Blaine doing here?" Finn couldn't help but ask.

His mom would never allow him to have a bunch of girls in his bedroom.

"I'm considered honorary and Blaine's going to entertain the guys with mindless video games. I guess you can join them if you like."

Kurt turned away from him and led the girls to his basement bedroom.

Maybe he should join the guys. At least this time he wouldn't have to be alone with Blaine and some of the guys in show choir were on the football team, so they had to be cool. Although, on second thought, why were they even hanging out with Blaine? He could probably just hang around in the living room and see who would show up.

Thirty minutes later, the living room was filling up. Finn was surprised to see that even the tough looking guy with the shaved head had shown up and they all seemed to be buddy buddy with Blaine. He didn't get it. At McCallum, members of the football team would never have hung out with losers and nerds and here they seemed to be best friends. Tired of not having any friends at his new school, he immediately agreed when Blaine asked him if he wanted to join them and he did end up having a pretty good time. Puck, the guy with the shaved head, Artie, a dude in a wheel chair and the two jocks Sam and Mike all stayed over as well and Finn and the guys had their own sleepover in the living room.

His mom was already up the next morning, preparing pancakes for all the teens in the house when Finn went into the kitchen, woken up by the delicious smell.

"Did you have fun last night, honey?" his mom asked when she saw him.

"It was cool. The guys were fun." Surprisingly he did have a good time.

"Maybe you should reconsider joining their choir. You had a nice voice as a child and you'd probably make some friends fast."

It would be cool to hang out with those guys more often.

"I'll think about it."

"Great, maybe Kurt and Blaine could help you with your audition song."

Or not. They would probably try to get him to sing show tunes. "When's Burt coming in?"

Finn couldn't wait to move into the new house so he’d have his own room again.

"He should be here in three hours. Why don't you go and wake up the others for breakfast."

Finn smiled. His mom's pancakes were the best.

***

     Burt spent most of the weekend unloading the van they had rented to transport all their stuff to Lima and by Sunday night their new house looked livable. The weekend so far had been good, apart from the small hiccup when he had asked his son why he was wearing a dress, but Kurt had assured him it was just part of his Halloween costume and that he would never wear a dress in real life.

     After a talk with Carole he had decided to let Kurt continue wearing his own clothes because so far they hadn't caused any trouble at McKinley. He'd been surprised but then Finn had told him how things worked at his new school.

He hadn't had much time to talk to Kurt this weekend because his son was mostly helping Carole unpack the kitchen and living room because he wasn't allowed to do any heavy lifting yet, while he and the rest of the boys had moved the furniture around. He and Blaine had gotten along surprisingly well, talking about the Buckeyes and the improved McKinley football team, which thanks to a new coach was finally winning. He'd gone to school with Ken Tanaka and had been surprised to hear that the guy who had nearly always been benched was coaching a football team.

It was easy to talk to Blaine, because they shared interests, but he didn't know how to talk to Kurt. All he knew was that the kid liked fashion and music, and could become a decent mechanic if he tried just a little harder. Carole had told him she would take him to a PFLAG meeting - he hadn't figured out yet what that stood for - to learn how to make things better with Kurt. What he needed was a dictionary: Gay teen – Straight dad. Unfortunately no one had such a thing lying around.

They were all sitting around the dining room table Sunday night for the first time in their new house. Burt would open his new shop Monday morning and until he had hired enough mechanics the kids would have to help out again. Judging by the clothes his son wore, he could use a job.

"I need some help in the shop in the afternoon. Anyone up for a little extra money? Kurt you could help out in the office."

Finn nodded, while Kurt kept his eyes on his plate. Surprisingly it was Blaine who spoke up.

"I'd like to if you could teach me some stuff. I like cars and you wouldn't have to pay me, because you're already letting me live here."

His son glared at the other boy. What was the problem? Blaine must have seen it too because he immediately backpedaled.

"Or I could just get a job somewhere else to help out."

"Blaine, no. All you have to do is help around the house like Finn and Kurt, okay," Carole said while patting Blaine's shoulder. His own son was focusing on the plate in front of him again.

Burt was on his way to bed when he heard raised voices coming from Kurt's bedroom. He didn't mean to eavesdrop but there were clear rules against shutting bedroom doors and he just wanted to tell them that the closed door was unacceptable. When he got closer he could hear Kurt and Blaine arguing. He couldn't really hear what was being said, but his son sounded upset. He'd expected some fighting but not from those two and he didn't want their first night together to end in a fight. He didn't want to send Blaine back to Elisabeth's house, because Carole would be against it, but if the boys were fighting already he might not have another choice. Burt opened the door without knocking, it was his house after all, and saw Blaine sitting on Kurt's bed while Kurt stood in front of him his hands balled into fists.

"Break it up, other people live here too. And if I catch you with the door closed again, you can forget being in each other's bedrooms in the future."

Kurt glared at him, but Blaine immediately stood up and nodded, before wishing Kurt a good night and telling him they'd talk in the morning.

Kurt was still standing in front of the bed, staring at the space Blaine had just occupied.

"What's up with you two?" Burt asked. He had promised Carole to try harder with Kurt after all.

"None of your business," Kurt shot back.

"Okay, okay," he raised his arms in surrender. "But if you … ah … need to talk, you can. I mean I don't know anything about gay relationships, but, ah, yeah."

Why did his son suddenly look even angrier? He was doing his best here, even going as far as trying to be supportive of their relationship.

"It's a relationship. My relationship isn’t any different than those of my friends. I know I'm gay. Doesn't mean you have to call everything I do gay."

Burt didn't understand. Carole had told him that saying gay was okay, but not the other words he had used to describe his son. And now his son told him, he couldn't say that either. His head hurt and he had a long day of work ahead of him. So he told Kurt to go to bed and went to his own bedroom. Carole was sitting up in bed reading a book when he entered.

"What's going on? I thought I heard shouting," she asked.

"Kurt and Blaine were arguing, but I don't know what about because Kurt wouldn't tell me. And then he said some other stuff I didn't understand either. How do you do it? How do you make sense of what they're saying?"

Carole put her book away looking smug. "It's a mother's gift. But seriously, that's why I want us to go to a PFLAG meeting. Maybe you'll get your answers there."

Burt certainly hoped so, because right now he felt like living with an alien and even if Kurt made good on his threat to move out after he turned eighteen, they would still have another seven months together. Maybe it was time to swallow his pride and ask for help after all.

 

 


	14. Parenting 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn auditions for Glee clubs and Burt joins PFLAG.

**Parenting 101**

Finn thought his audition had gone very well. He had sung a song one of his mom's ex-boyfriends used to play to him when he was younger and he knew he had nailed it. Unfortunately, the teacher had also wanted to see how he did with choreography and he might have stumbled a bit. But honestly, how was he supposed to know this when he only had half an hour to learn it? He didn't deserve to be put in the back. People didn't put Finn Hudson in a corner. He was a leader, not a follower. But he wasn't worried. They would see how great he was soon enough.

***

Finn's audition had gone better than Kurt had expected, but the boy had two left feet and definitely wasn't the strongest singer in their group. While Ms. Corcoran was talking to Mike about some new choreography that Kurt still wasn't allowed to do, Finn fruitlessly hit on Santana and Brittany. He wanted to turn around and tell Blaine what a hopeless case he thought Finn was, before remembering that he was still mad at his boyfriend for constantly sucking up to Burt. He just didn't understand why Blaine was trying so hard to get Burt to like him. It wasn't like Burt would kick him out if he didn't like him. Carole would make sure of it.

But Kurt also knew that he had to talk to Blaine and tell him about his own insecurities. He couldn't help it that he was afraid his father would like Blaine better because he was more traditionally masculine than Kurt and shared some of his father's interests. He would take Blaine out to Breadstixx tonight so they could talk and make up.

***

Burt felt like all eyes were on him when he went inside the Toledo community center and followed the arrows pointing the way to the PFLAG meeting. He had no idea what to expect. Would it be like the AA meetings he'd seen in the movies? Did they expect him to stand up and tell the rest of the group why he was here? He wasn't ready for that. He wanted answers but he didn't want to tell everyone his business.

Once he had found the room the meeting was being held in, he sat down on a chair in the back and watched as people were coming in. There were whole families, a group of teenagers and a few men and women who seemed to have come alone just like Burt. A man with a trucker hat sat down next to him and observed the group of teenagers.

"Are you here for your kid too?" Burt was curious to know. "This is my first time here. My wife thought it would help me understand my son better," Burt offered.

The man looked just like him. He would understand.

"Our daughter's best friend just came out and we're here to support her," the man told him after introducing himself as Ray.

"Oh, is your wife here as well? Mine wanted to come, but she had to work."

It was nice to talk to another grown-up apart from Carole. Even if the man couldn't fully relate.

"My husband is running late, but he'll join us later."

After he noticed Burt's curious look he added. "We got married a few years back in Boston. Not that Ohio recognizes it."

Burt was surprised to hear the man had a daughter. Maybe he or his husband had been married to a woman before?

"And she is living with you and not her mother?"

"A friend of ours offered to be our surrogate when we had trouble adopting. It wasn't easy to adopt in the 90s when you were two unmarried men."

Burt hadn't expected that. "I didn't know you could do that. I thought with my son being gay, I would never get to have grandkids," Burt admitted.

"There are agencies for that, but it's easier if you have a friend who's willing to do it for you. But Tom and I aren't the only ones here. See the couple in the corner over there? LeRoy and Hiram Berry. They have a sixteen-year-old daughter. She sometimes comes here as well to talk to the other parents."

Burt thought the name sounded familiar.

"The girl's name, is it Rachel?" he asked.

It would be good to know some of Kurt's friends' parents.

"Oh, do you know her?" Ray asked.

"She is a friend of my son's."

"I'm surprised you didn't know about her parents then. She loves talking about them."

Burt didn't want to tell the guy his whole life story. Elisabeth had probably known the Berrys since Kurt and Rachel had been friends for years.

"Excuse me, Ray, but I think I'm going to introduce myself to the Berrys. Thanks for the talk.”

Burt quickly stood up and made his way over to Rachel's fathers.

“Hi, I’m Burt Hummel. Kurt’s dad,” he introduced himself.

“Burt, hi. I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m LeRoy and this is my husband Hiram,” one of Rachel’s father’s replied, looking very surprised indeed.

Burt wasn’t surprised that Elisabeth had apparently talked about him and he didn’t expect that she said had anything nice to say. So their offer came as quite a shock.

“You probably have a lot of questions and coming here is a great first step, but I want to give you our phone numbers so you can call if you have any issues with Kurt or need someone to talk to,” Hiram dug out two business cards and handed them over to Burt.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it,” Burt told the men gruffly and pocketed the cards.

This evening was already turning out to be a success and the meeting had barely started.

***

Blaine left Breadstixx with Kurt shortly after nine and he was glad they had managed to talk about what had been bothering them. Kurt had told him how it made him feel when Blaine spent time with his father, and Blaine had assured him, he was only being nice to Burt because he didn't want to get kicked out again. Once they'd made their peace, all Blaine wanted to do was kiss Kurt senseless, but since they were in the middle of a crowed restaurant he had to settle for holding Kurt's hand throughout the rest of dinner.

Kurt must have felt the same, because he suddenly pulled the car over in front of his father's garage and told Blaine to get into the backseat. Who was Blaine to argue with that? They hadn't had uninterrupted alone time together since before the funeral and all Blaine wanted was to at least feel Kurt on top of him while the kissed.

Luckily they'd only been to Breadstixx, which meant while Kurt was still dressed up, he hadn't gone crazy with the layers. He had finally managed to open Kurt's vest and was starting to unbutton his dress shirt, when he heard a knock on the window. Kurt was already crawling off of him, buttoning his vest as quickly as possible when Blaine finally dared to turn around to check who it was. He shouldn't have been surprised. Burt Hummel was standing next to the car with a blank expression on his face. Why couldn't it have been some passers-by, or the cops? Anyone would have been better than Kurt's father.

By the time Blaine had regained his motor functions, Kurt had already climbed out of the car and was approaching his father with an unreadable expression of his own. Blaine quickly followed him, because he couldn't let his boyfriend deal with his father on his own. Burt stared at both of them for a few more seconds before he finally spoke.

"Go home. You don't want to be late for your curfew. We'll talk about this tomorrow." Blaine nodded and Kurt's father turned around to walk back to his own car.

"Shit, shit, shit," he heard Kurt curse next to him. "What was he doing here? I thought he went to that PFLAG meeting tonight. Is he following us?"

"He probably drove by on his way back from Toledo and recognized your car. I don't think even your dad would go as far as to follow you around." Kurt nodded.

"You're right. I'm just being paranoid, but what do we do now? I mean why didn't he yell or something like that? Doesn't that worry you?"

Kurt's voice was getting higher, a sure sign that he was extremely anxious.

"There isn't much we can do right now. Let's just go home and maybe we can leave for school early tomorrow to avoid talking to him," Blaine suggested.

He didn't particularly like the idea of having to talk to Kurt's dad about this either, and if there was a way to postpone the talk he was all for it.

They got back into the car and drove back in silence, before sneaking up to their respective bedrooms. Burt's car was already in the driveway, but luckily they hadn't seen the man when they got home. They shared a quick kiss in front of Kurt's room before Blaine walked back to his own room and got ready for bed. He had a hard time falling asleep because he was worrying about what Burt might do to him. Eventually he must have fallen asleep though, because he woke up to his alarm clock blaring Katy Perry the next morning.

***

Burt was sitting on the back porch with a beer next to him staring at the card the Berrys had given him. They had left at the same time, so he assumed they were home by now, but probably still awake. He knew he had overreacted when he had found the boys in bed together after the funeral, because he was pretty certain they hadn't done anything after such a horrible day. But still, he had no idea how to handle this. Because he didn't know what else to do, he took out his phone and punched in the Berrys' number. He just hoped they wouldn't be angry about getting such a late call.

The phone rang five times and Burt was about to hang up when it was finally picked up.

"LeRoy Berry speaking."

"Yeah, hi. This is Burt Hummel, we met tonight at the meeting. Um, you said to call if I had problems with Kurt and yeah there's something I don't know how to handle. Sorry for the late call. I should have waited till tomorrow."

Burt knew he was rambling, but he couldn't help it. He didn't know why he was so nervous all of a sudden.

"It's okay. How can I help you?" LeRoy asked.

"Well you see. I was driving home and I saw Kurt's car in front of my shop and I thought maybe they had car troubles or something, but then I walked up and I saw him and Blaine making out in the back seat and Blaine was trying to take Kurt's clothes off and I told them to go home, and that we would talk tomorrow, but I have no idea what I should say to them. I don't know if you know, but they are both living in my house."

Yep. Still rambling.

"We are aware of Blaine's situation. My husband and I offered to take Blaine in when Kurt moved to Texas, but he didn't want to leave Kurt's house."

"Right, so what should I do?"

"Can I ask you a question?" LeRoy asked.

Burt assumed it was only fair to let the other man ask whatever he wanted in exchange for some advice.

"Sure."

"If Kurt were straight and you had caught him with a girl, what would you have said?"

Burt thought for a moment. Back when he had thought Kurt was going away overnight with his girlfriend, he had told his son to have fun.

"I'd tell him not to get her pregnant and to respect her wishes, I guess. And that they shouldn't fool around in a car where they might be caught by the police," Burt answered honestly.

"Well, their relationship isn't any different, apart from the whole pregnancy thing." Burt heard someone, probably Hiram, laugh in the back.

"Just tell them they shouldn't do anything in a car because it's too dangerous for them and to use protection if they are having sex, because you don't want them to get sick. Tell them what they can and can't do in your house. Your house, your rules. It's the same for Rachel. And make sure the same rules apply to your other son as well, because otherwise one of them is going to be pissed."

Burt didn't want to think about his son having sex. It wasn't even a gay thing. Kids weren't supposed to think about their parents in that way and vice versa.

"I don't really know what else to tell you. Just stay calm and explain why you don't want them to do what they were doing. Kurt's pretty sensitive about you, so he's going to analyze everything you say."

As if Burt didn't know that already. That's why he had called in the first place. It was so easy to say something that pissed Kurt off even if Burt hadn't meant it that way.

“Thanks for your help. Next time I try not to call in the middle of the night."

They both said goodnight and Burt finished his beer before going back inside to wait for his wife to come home. She probably would want to know how his night had gone.

***

Finn hadn't meant to listen in to Burt's conversation with Kurt and Blaine, but he couldn't help but be curious when he saw them sitting opposite Burt in the living room. They both didn't look too happy, and Finn wanted to know what was going on. He hid himself in the hallway leading to the living room where he had a good view of most of the room without being seen himself.

"Listen, about last night," Burt started and Finn wondered what had happened last night.

"I met Rachel's parents at the meeting and they told me to call if I needed advice and so I called them last night because I didn't know how to deal with what I saw last night."

Did Burt catch them having sex? It sounded like it. But then why wasn't he angrier?

"Great if they tell Rachel she'll never let us forget it," Kurt muttered looking distinctively unhappy.

Hell, if Finn managed to get laid, he wouldn't look that unhappy, getting caught or not.

"You already know the house rules. No closed doors if you are in each other's bedrooms. I want to know when you are home alone and where you go when you go out at night."

At least they had the same rules Finn had. Not that Finn had ever been punished when Kelly had been over and neither Burt nor his mom had been home.

"I want you to promise me that you won't do stuff like that in a car again. It's just not safe," Burt continued.

They had done it in a car? But what did Burt mean by safe? You couldn't wear a seat belt when you were making out. He'd tried once and failed.

"You were lucky that it was me who found you, because it also could have been the police or even worse, someone like the guys that hurt you before."

Blaine flinch and Kurt shoot him a questioning look. If Finn didn't know any better he would have assumed that Blaine had gotten beat up once too, but who would want to beat up Blaine? He was probably just imagining things. By the time Finn returned his focus to the living room, Kurt and Blaine were promising not to do stuff in the car again. But if they couldn't do it in the car anymore, did that mean they would do it here? He had to talk to them to make sure they didn't do anything while he was in the next room.

He quickly tiptoed back upstairs and when he heard Kurt and Blaine come up the stairs as well he asked them to come into his room. Both looked at him questioningly while he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

"I don't want you to have sex when I'm home," he blurted out.

Blaine paled and Kurt turned a nice shade of red. "Who said anything about sex?" Kurt asked, once he seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"I heard what you and Burt were talking about. About doing it in the car."

There was no way they could deny it. He had heard most of their conversation.

"We weren't doing ‘it’ in Kurt's car as you so eloquently put it," Blaine spoke up as it became clear that Kurt was done talking about the subject.

Elo –what?

"And we have no plans to have sex with you in the next room. Kurt and I haven't even had sex yet."

Kurt glared at Blaine, but Finn was surprised.

"Seriously dude? My mom said you've been dating for like a year and you haven't done it yet?"

"That's none of your business." Apparently Kurt had found his voice again.

"But I thought gay guys have lots of sex. Like all the time." At least that was what the man on the news had said when he talked about the spreading of AIDS.

"I'm pretty sure there are as many straight people who like to sleep around as there are gay people. But being gay doesn't mean that you can't be in a committed relationship," Blaine said using his I want to teach you something voice.

Finn's head was swimming. Whenever he thought something to be true, he was being told that what he knew was actually a lie or exaggeration. He didn't know whom to believe anymore. He told Kurt and Blaine that he still had homework to do and kicked them out of his room. His life back in Austin had been so much easier.

 


	15. New School, Old Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burt thinks they're slowing turning into the Hummel-Hudson home for abandoned teenagers when Finn messes up and gets one of Kurt's friends kicked out of her house.

**New School, Old Mistakes**

Kurt couldn't wait to get to Glee. Ms. Corcoran would announce today which of the songs they had rehearsed would be used for their upcoming competition. Rachel's mom had insisted they'd get more than the requisite three numbers competition ready, just in case they had to make any last minutes adjustments.

Kurt hadn't been part of the club when Mr. Schuester had run it, but from what he'd been told, the teacher never started rehearsing until a week before competitions and had given all the solos to Rachel. They had managed to get to Regionals where they had placed only fifth. The Warblers had fared slightly better at their own Regionals; they'd come in second after Carmel High School, a four time national champion that Ms. Corcoran used to coach.

After his final class had finally ended, Kurt ran to the choir room. He and Blaine had presented a duet version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" and he wanted nothing more than sing it during the competition.

Apparently he wasn't the only curious one, because most of the club was already in the choir room when Kurt arrived. He dropped his bag onto the seat next to Blaine’s and tried to calm his nerves.

Ms. Corcoran showed up five minutes late but went straight to business once she had settled.

"I guess you all want to know the final set list, am I right?" Kurt nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright. Here goes. We're going to start with Mercedes and Santana singing "River deep/ Mountain High" with Mike and Brittany doing choreography."

Mercedes and Santana high fived each other. They had sounded amazing together and so Kurt couldn't help but be happy for one of his best friends.

"Alright, now for the second duet."

Kurt grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it hard.

"As you know, it is either going to be Rachel and Puck or Kurt and Blaine. I've thought a lot about it, but in the end I decided to go with the boys, because their arrangement sounded great. Congrats boys."

Holy crap. He was doing a duet with Blaine on a competition stage. Not just a Christmas concert for family and friends. Before he knew it, Rachel had pulled him into a hug.

"You deserve it. The only way I could have beat you was if I had sung with Blaine," she whispered in his ear.

Kurt was touched because he knew how Rachel could be if she didn't get what she wanted. But he guessed the new structure in the club worked for her as well. At least now she knew that when she got a solo she had actually earned it instead of it just being handed to her. At least that's how it worked for Blaine. Kurt just liked that for the first time ever he actually had a chance to get solos as well, instead of just singing backup for either Rachel or Blaine.

Once the room had quieted down, Ms. Corcoran announced their final number. Finn's face fell when he realized that Rachel's mom had chosen the number in which he was relegated to swaying in the back and singing back up. Next to him however, Rachel was jumping up and down in her seat.

They would finish their set with "You can't stop the beat" from Hairspray. Rachel and Sam would take Tracy and Link's lines, Quinn and Puck would play Penny and Seaweed, and Artie would take Mrs. Turnblad's solo, while Tina, Mercedes and Brittany would take turns on the last solo with the rest of the club singing back-up.

"I'm sorry Finn, Sugar, but you just aren't there yet. Maybe, if you work hard, we can feature you at Regionals."

Sugar clapped enthusiastically. The freshman girl didn't seem to mind too much, but Finn looked pissed. Kurt knew his stepbrother wasn't used to being put in the back, but he couldn't focus on that right now. They had a fantastic set list and would surely win Sectionals.

"Before I let you get back to rehearsing, one more thing. I'd like to thank Mercedes, Tina, Sugar and Kurt for getting us the awesome costumes we have now. You've all become such a great team in such a short time, and I'm really proud of you. Just do your best on Saturday and we've got this in the bag."

Rachel's mom sure knew how to give a pep talk.

***

Finn couldn't believe he didn't even get a single line. Not that he liked show choir that much, but he was always good at what he did. What was worse, he had already told his mom and Burt about his solo and they had promised to come to the performance to watch him, Kurt and Blaine.

He spotted Rachel on the other side of the room and walked up to her. The girl was annoying but talented and seemed to like it when he complemented her.

"You know, if you had agreed to sing a duet with me, I'm sure she would have picked us. We'd make a great team."

Rachel smiled. He got in the bag. She might not be a cheerleader but she was still attractive.

"That's sweet of you to say, Finn, but I need a partner that can keep up with me vocally and that's not you."

What? That was not how this was supposed to go. Girls like Rachel usually craved the attention of good-looking jocks.

"I am looking for a replacement for my previous duet partner, now that my boyfriend is in college and maybe if you work on it we could try again in the future, but right now, you'd only bring me down."

He needed to get away from her. He spotted Brittany leaving the room and followed her. Finn had heard from Puck that Brittany and Santana sometimes made out in front of other people and maybe he could convince Brittany to let him join them one time. That would certainly boost his coolness factor. He found Brittany in front of her locker and just as he was about to lean in and give her a flirtatious smile, Santana grabbed him and yanked him back. Who did she think he was?

"I'm sorry Santana for trying to talk to your girlfriend. Didn't know I wasn't allowed to do that."

He could hear a few people gasp behind him and Santana suddenly looked murderous.

"I thought that was a secret, Santana," Brittany said looking confused.

What? But hadn't everyone already known? He probably should get away from Santana before she went all Lima Heights on him, whatever that meant.

"Sorry, I got to go. Kurt's my ride."

He turned around quickly and left before he would experience Santana's wrath. How was he supposed to know that was a secret? They were always sitting close together in glee, just like his stepbrother and Blaine.

Kurt and Blaine were already waiting for him outside and while Kurt and Blaine were practicing their duet in the car, Finn stayed quiet in the back. There was no need to get worried; things like that always blew over quickly in High School, didn't they?

***

Burt was surprised when McKinley’s show choir won the competition. Not because they were bad, but because his son and Blaine sang a duet together. He was surprised the judges didn’t seem to care about that. This was Ohio after all. He had to admit though that they sounded good together. Elisabeth had always praised Kurt's voice but he had thought it was just a mother's biased opinion.

He and Carole were still looking around for their kids when he finally spotted Finn in a corner. He grabbed Carole's hand and moved toward her son. When he got closer, he realized that something must be wrong. The Latina girl who had sung the first song had Finn backed into a corner and Kurt and Blaine were standing behind her, Kurt with the blonde dancer in his arms. He was about to intervene when he heard what the dark haired girl was saying.

"It's all your fault my grandma kicked me out. I can't believe you told everyone that Brittany is my girlfriend. Are you really that desperate for a date?"

Finn, at that point, was standing with his back against the wall. Burt heard Carole gasp next to him, and the grip on his hand tightened. Hadn't Finn learnt anything in Austin? Burt decided it was time to interfere.

"Finn, go to the car now. The rest of you, please stay. I'd like to talk to you."

The dark haired girl took a step back and let Finn pass.

"First of all, what's your name? I'm Kurt and Finn's dad."

The girl arched an eyebrow at that and just stared at him for a few seconds. Finally she answered.

"Santana. Santana Lopez. I'd say pleased to meet you, but that would make me a liar."

Burt didn't know what to say to that. Even Kurt had never been that rude. Burt opened his mouth to say something, but Carole was faster.

"You said, your grandmother kicked you out. Can I ask where your parents are?"

Santana seemed to mull it over before she nodded.

"They work for MSF in Somalia and won't be back before Christmas."

"Where are you staying right now?" Carole wondered.

"Brittany, but her parents will be back from a trip soon and they don't like me very much. They think I'm not good enough for her," Santana explained.

"You can stay at our place until your parents get back," Burt surprised himself by making the offer.

"We have a guest room you could use and it would only be for a couple of weeks," Carole took over quickly.

Maybe it was time to let Carole handle the situation. She was always better with things like that.

"I know you must be pretty angry with Finn, and believe me I understand. I feel, the least I can do to make up for his behavior is letting you stay with us for a while. You already know Kurt and Blaine, so it wouldn't be like staying with strangers," Carole continued.

Santana didn't say anything at first, but just looked at them. Burt felt like he was lying under a magnifying glass.

"Can I come visit Santana if she's staying with you?" the blonde in Kurt's arms asked. That had to be Brittany then.

"You can, but there are rules," Burt told her.

 He couldn't have separate rules for each of the teenagers staying in his house.

"Fine, I'll do it. If I can't beat Finn up, I can at least make him feel … guilty."

Burt wasn't sure he wanted to know what the girl had wanted to say. But she was right, Finn had screw up again, and maybe this way he would learn his lesson.

"Why don't we swing by Brittany's house and you pick up your things so we can all go home," Carole suggested before turning to Kurt and Blaine. "That's not going to be a problem for you, is it?"

Burt hadn't even thought about that. But luckily, both boys immediately shook their heads and started telling Brittany about all the fabulous sleepovers they could have together. Thank god it was only six weeks till Christmas, Burt thought.

***

Kurt was glad he and Blaine had come with their own car so they didn't have to be in a car with Finn, Santana and his parents. He was so angry with Finn it was good they were physically separated at the moment.

"I can't believe he did that. First he outs me and than Santana. Does he have a personal vendetta against all gay people?" Kurt fumed.

 He was glad that Blaine was driving.

"And don't tell me he doesn't know any better. Carole sat him down after he outed me and told him that wasn't okay."

"Maybe we should talk to him, when we get home. I'm pretty sure Santana won't want to talk, but maybe we can explain why what he did was wrong."

Kurt sighed. Blaine was ever the optimist. He didn't understand why his boyfriend always had to try to help people whether they deserved it or not.

"Sorry, Burt wants to have the honors and I'm definitely going to listen in on that one. Who knows what he's going to tell him, PFLAG or not."

 Kurt felt Blaine's hand on his knee as he squeezed it gently.

"Alright. Why don't you go spy on your dad and I'll make sure Santana is doing okay."

"I knew there was a reason why I love you," Kurt joked.

Kurt knew that Blaine didn't exactly agree with him, but at least he was still being supportive.

***

Once again, Burt was on the back porch with his stepson, but this time he had only brought a beer for himself. He definitely needed one for another talk like that.

"You know that what you did was wrong, right?" he asked the boy sitting next to him.

"I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret. I thought everyone already knew and besides, no one's going to care. It's two girls, people are going to think that's hot."

Burt couldn't deny that he had enjoyed watching porn that had two girls in it at some time or other but that was beside the point he was trying to make.

"Well someone did care. Otherwise Santana wouldn't be staying with us right now. It's not your place to decide when someone opens up about something private. Usually they have good reasons to keep things hidden."

Burt watched as Finn tried to process what he was saying.

"So I shouldn't say anything about someone's relationship unless I know it's okay to do so?" Finn mused. "But if they wanted to keep it quiet, why did they act like a couple in glee?"

"I guess the people in that club of yours are all friends and they probably thought they didn't have to hide anything there," Burt explained. At least that's what Carole's been saying.

"I wasn't thinking when I said that. I was angry and I wanted to take it out on her. But I never meant for any of that to happen," Finn confessed.

 Burt understood, he really did. He'd said at lot of things out of anger that he wanted to take back afterward, but he was trying to work on it.

"You need to start thinking before you talk, otherwise getting someone kicked out of their house might not be the worst thing you could cause."

Burt shuddered. He had been shocked when some guy at the PFLAG meeting had talked about the suicide rate among gay teens. He'd done some bad things too in his time, but he hoped he had never made his son feel like this was the only way out.

"So, your mom and I have decided that you'll come to future PFLAG meetings with me. Maybe we can even all go together as a family. God knows the two of us need some help getting through all this. And it's not up for discussion, you understand?" Finn just nodded.

"Good, now let's go to bed, and tomorrow I want you to apologize to Santana."

Finn nodded again as Burt stood up and went back inside to tell Carole what he had talked to Finn about. Carole had wanted to be the one to talk to Finn, but Burt had thought it would be more effective if it came from him. He had been looking forward to a quiet Sunday with his family, but now that they had added another teen, he knew it would be anything but quiet.

***

Kurt was hiding behind the curtains while his father talked to Finn.

 

"What have I missed?" a voice suddenly whispered next to him. Kurt nearly jumped a foot into the air.

"Santana, what are you doing here? I thought Blaine was talking to you."

"Got bored and told him I was going to bed."

Kurt wasn't surprised Santana had fled. Blaine could be intense when he was trying to play big gay mentor. They watched Finn and Burt's talk in silence and as Burt stood up they quickly retreated to Kurt's bedroom.

"Your dad gives surprisingly good talks. From what I've heard about him I'd expected something different. I didn't think he would tell Frankenteen that he was wrong."

Kurt had been surprised as well. He didn't expect Burt to acknowledge that what he had done in the past had been wrong. But one positive talk wouldn't make up for all the shit his father had put him through. If he wanted his forgiveness he had to work a little harder than that. Or actually tell Kurt that he had been wrong.

"He does seem to have a talent for them if they are with people that aren't me. But I get it. I'm just too weird for him."

Santana gave him a sympathetic look, but he didn't want her pity. She had her own problems.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked to take the focus off of him.

"Geez, would you all stop asking me that. So my abuela, who basically raised me, turned out to be an asshole. I'll live. Like your dad said it's only until Christmas and then my parents will be back at least till summer. Worry about your own shit."

Kurt knew she didn't mean to hurt him. Insulting others was her defense mechanism and he could emphasize with that because he tended to do the exact same thing, at least when it came to the bullies in his life.

"Well, if you say so. You know where to find either Blaine or I if you do want to talk."

He made shooing motions with his hands and Santana left for the guestroom. Life just couldn't give him a break.

***

Blaine was late for Glee Club but he still caught the tail end of Ms. Corcoran's speech.

"… best if you didn't come for a while. It will be up to Santana and Brittany if you'll be allowed to come back. Choir is a safe space for many of its members and with your actions you have proven that you don't deserve the trust people put in you in this room."

Half the class looked murderous, and Finn looked like he couldn't wait to get out of the choir room. He hadn't had the chance yet to talk to Kurt's stepbrother, but according to Kurt, Burt had actually done a good job. Still, he wanted to talk to Finn as well. If he could just get one bully to change he wouldn't feel so bad about running away to Dalton.

He saw Finn grab his bag after Ms. Corcoran was done and made to follow him when he felt a tug on his arm.

"Where are you going?" Kurt asked.

"I want to talk to Finn," Blaine explained and freed his arm.

He didn't understand why Kurt didn't make more of an effort with Finn. They were brothers now and that had to count for something. He quickly followed Finn when he heard Kurt's unmistakable footsteps behind him. Finn had just passed a row of lockers when a group of cheerios cornered him and dumped a multitude of iced drinks on his head, before walking on as if nothing had happened.

Blaine gasped. He had never experienced a so-called ‘slushie’ himself but Kurt had told him how bad it felt to receive one.

"I guess you want to help him?" Kurt asked from behind him.

"You told me how difficult it was to get cleaned up after one, especially if you are on your own."

"And I'm doing this because…?"

"I guess you know the phrase 'Kill them with kindness' right? If we are nice to him, then he won't have a choice but be nice to us. "

Kurt rolled his eyes, but the small smile on his face gave away that he wasn’t actually annoyed with Blaine.

"The things I do for you."

Finn was already making his way to one of the restrooms when they caught up with him.

"Blaine demanded that I help you, so please follow me."

Blaine gave Finn what he hoped to be an encouraging smile as Kurt grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the girls' bathroom.

"Dude, I'm not a girl," Finn protested weakly while trying to get ice chunks out of his eyes.

"This was the ‘slushie’ bathroom my first year here, because it was closest to the choir room."

 Blaine hated that Kurt had to have a ‘slushie’ bathroom and was beyond thankful that ‘slushies’ weren't really happing anymore. Kurt cleaned up Finn quickly and efficiently and sent him on his way to his next class.

"You'll better make it up to me Blaine Anderson," Kurt threatened, but there was a small smile on his face.

"Well, I guess Finn owes you one now and we do have an anniversary coming up," Blaine tried to flirt back.

Kurt took a quick look at the closed door and after making sure it was locked, pressed Blaine against the wall and then tried to leave probably the biggest hickey known to mankind on Blaine's neck. If that was what he got for helping out Finn, Blaine would assist the giant teen more often.

 

 


	16. Moving Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kurt's parents come for a visit, Thanksgiving dinner ends in disaster. Luckily, Kurt and Blaine also have their one year anniversary coming up, which they celebrate with a romantic outing in Columbus.

**Moving forward**

Carole walked into the kitchen as Burt hung up the phone.

"What's wrong? You look tense," she asked him while she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Burt took a sip of his own before answering.

"That was my mom. She invited herself and my dad to Thanksgiving, because apparently I have a family again now."

"What's wrong with that? I told you my mom is coming too," Carole questioned when he didn't elaborate.

"Let's just say, the last time they and Kurt were together it wasn't exactly pleasant. Elisabeth left with him right in the middle of church and then didn't talk to me for months."

"That bad, huh?" Carole raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Well, you know my mom can be a handful as well."

"Yeah, but your mom is going to love Kurt. My parents are probably going to say something offensive and then it's going to be my fault all over again. But I can't just tell them they can't come, they are my parents."

"Well, maybe it won't be so bad with all the people here."

Burt sighed. He really hoped so. After all that'd been happening lately he really craved a nice and quiet holiday.

"Let's hope for the best." Carole kissed him on the cheek and smiled at him.

"We'll figure it out. We always do."

***

Their kitchen still looked like a battlefield when the doorbell rang. Carole, Kurt and Santana had been working hard on all the dishes while Burt, Finn and Blaine were watching a football game, after having set the table. Carole just hoped that it wasn't Burt's parents who were arriving early, because she couldn't deal with them just yet.

She had met them a few times when they had come down to Austin to visit Burt and they had always been nice to Finn, but from what Burt had told her she was worried about this visit. Their house was a safe space for many of the teens in it and she didn't want anyone to poison the atmosphere with their hatred.

Carole quickly wiped her hands on a dishrag before hurrying toward the front door.

"No need to get up boys, I'll get it," she yelled over to the living room. Not that they had even moved.

Luckily, the early arrival was just her mom, who hugged her, before thrusting her coat into Carole's arms and demanded to see her grandsons. Carole pointed into the direction of the kitchen and followed her mother as soon as she had put the coat on a hanger. She heard Kurt squeak before she even entered the kitchen and when she rounded the corner, she saw her mom pinch Kurt's cheek.

"Isn't he the cutest?" she exclaimed, clearly not realizing that she made Kurt uncomfortable. "He looks like a little china doll. You'd fit perfectly into my collection."

"Mom, let him breath. Why don't you go say hello to Burt and Finn in the living room, while we finish up in the kitchen," Carole said while trying to discreetly usher her mom out of the kitchen.

"Nonsense, Carole. I'd rather stay with you two lovely ladies," she pointed at Santana, "and my adorable grandson."

Carole quickly shot Santana a look trying to tell her to please be nice. Santana being Santana had to ignore her of course.

"What are you on and where can I get some?" she asked Carole's mother. Her mom leaned in conspiratorially.

"I'll tell you when Carole's gone. But let me tell you this. If you ever drop by down south, why don't you help me take care of my green house," her mother winked at Santana.

"Mother!" Carole exclaimed. She just hoped her mom was joking and wasn't really high, because that was the last thing she needed right now. Maybe her mom was just overly excited to see her family again.

Kurt, Carole realized, must have fled the kitchen at some point, and so to do damage control she took her mother's hand and showed her to the guest room where she could freshen up. Santana had been put in Kurt's room for the night because they got along best and luckily Burt's parents would stay at a hotel. Thanksgiving dinner hadn't even started and she already felt a headache coming on.

***

Burt's parents arrived shortly after the game ended and everyone sat down together in the living room while Carole finished up in the kitchen.

"So, who are those two then?" Kurt's grandfather asked, pointing at him and Santana. "I thought Carole only had the one son."

Blaine sat up straighter in his chair. He didn't know if he should answer or let Burt explain this one. Luckily, Burt seemed to agree that it would be best if he provided the answer.

"Blaine and Santana. They go to school with Finn and Kurt," Burt explained. Clearly Burt's mother wasn't satisfied with the answer, as she raised an eyebrow at Burt.

"For reasons I can't really tell you they can't stay with their own families right now, so Carole and I have volunteered to take them in," Burt elaborated.

"Burt, that is wonderful. I always knew you were a good Christian, even after that divorce. Never liked that horrible woman very much anyway, with her liberal attitude and behavior."

Burt flinched while Kurt paled.

"Mother, please don't say things like that in front of Kurt," Burt pleaded with his mother.

"Come on son, Kurt's not a child anymore, he can hear to truth," Kurt's grandfather added.

"How's the house? Everything okay with it?" Burt tried to change the subject.

Blaine wanted nothing more than to take Kurt's hand, but they had agreed that it might be better if they kept their relationship a secret to avoid negative comments from Kurt's grandparents. If they already acted like that without knowing the truth about Kurt, he didn't want to find out what they would be like if they did. Luckily, Carole announced that dinner was ready before Kurt's grandparents could say more offensive things. Blaine, Santana, Kurt and Finn volunteered to help carry out the dishes, because neither one of them wanted to stay in the room alone with Burt and his parents.

Blaine pulled Kurt aside once they were out of sight. "Are you doing okay?"

Kurt gave him a stiff nod. "It's not like I didn't know that they didn't like my mom."

"But still, I can't believe they would say something like this in front of you and call themselves good Christians," Blaine tried to keep his voice down, but it was hard.

Kurt shrugged. "Just ignore them. They are just bitter old people. They can't touch us or what we have," he assured Blaine.

Blaine squeezed his hand for a moment before helping the others in the kitchen.

***

At least with everyone eating, his grandparents didn’t have a chance to insult him or his mom again. Kurt allowed himself to relax a bit, but in retrospect, he should have known that something bad would happen.

He had briefed Finn and Blaine on what not to say in front of his grandparents, but had forgotten about Santana. He'd known she would be a liability, briefed or not, but he had forgotten to tell her that his grandparents couldn't know he was gay. Especially not now when it seemed like his father was slowly coming around.

It seemed like an innocent question at first.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?" his grandfather asked the four teens.

"Mom and Kurt are going to get up crazy early for Black Friday shopping," Finn explained. "The rest of us are probably going to sleep in and play some games," he continued.

That earned him the first raised eyebrow. Apparently boys weren't supposed to like shopping. Unfortunately, Santana couldn't leave it at that.

"Kurt, Blaine, Brittany and I are going on a double date to Breadstixx tonight. We would have asked Finn to join us if he could manage to get himself a girlfriend," she told the group. Kurt enjoyed Finn's pissed expression for a moment before his grandmother spoken up.

"How nice. Which of the boys is your boyfriend? Blaine or Kurt?" she asked Santana who nearly choked on her piece of pie. Kurt kicked her under the table, but it was already too late.

"I don't think I'm their type and they are not really mine either," she sniggered. "Brittany's my girlfriend," she explained when she was met with confused silence.

His grandfather turned around to Burt and glared at him.

"If I understood the lady correctly, your son and the other boy here are an item."

It wasn’t a question; more of an accusation. Burt’s face fell.

"I thought we raised you better than that, Burt. God will punish you for allowing such sin into your house. You need to stop it immediately if you want to be saved," his grandmother cried out. She then quickly took her husband's hand into her own and they both bowed their heads.

"Dear Lord, please do not condemn our son's soul. He does not yet know the errors of his ways. And please help guide our grandson into the light and help him overcome his confusion. He is still young and if you open your heart to him, he will surely reward you. Please…"

His grandmother didn’t manage to finish her prayer, as Burt suddenly jumped up.

"That's enough. Mom, Dad, I think it's time you went back to your hotel. It's getting late and I'm sure you must be tired."

"But Burt, honey…" Kurt's grandmother tried to argue.

"Kids, please go help Carole with the dishes while I show my parents out."

Kurt was surprised. He didn’t expect his father to take his side against his parents. But he was glad he did because otherwise he might have said some not so nice things to the only set of grandparents he still had.

"Well, that was fun. We should do that more often," Carole's mom suddenly piped up from next to him. She had stayed oddly quiet throughout dinner, quietly giggling to herself. Maybe Santana had been right. He could use whatever Carole's mom was on right now.

"I think you and that other boy make a lovely couple. You know I'm a child of the sixties, back then no one cared who you loved as long as you were having fun," she winked at him.

Kurt knew he was going to like his new grandma. He might have lost his biological grandparents, but whoever had invented the phrase blood is thicker than water, had clearly never met the Hummels.

***

Saturday after Thanksgiving, Kurt and Blaine had plans to celebrate their first anniversary together which fell on the following Tuesday. They had decided to plan it together, because they considered their relationship an equal partnership.

They had hoped to spend the weekend in Columbus, but Kurt's father had said he'd only allow it if Finn tagged along. Kurt had tried to change Burt's mind, or at least get Santana as their chaperone, but Burt had argued that Santana wouldn't be as effective as Finn. Kurt had to admit that his father was probably right from a parental point of view, because Santana most likely would make a lewd comment and send them on their way.

He and Blaine had looked up gay friendly restaurants in the city, as they hadn't been out for dinner during their six months anniversary trip to Columbus. They had both agreed that they didn't need over the top romantic gestures to show their love for each other.

All he wanted was to be able to sped some time with Blaine somewhere where they could be openly affectionate without having to be afraid other people might object to it. It was still nice out for late November and so when they arrived early Saturday morning, they went on a walk through neighborhoods where they weren't the only gay couple holding hands on the street.

Not having to hide their relationship in public for once, was actually the best present they had given each other. There would be other presents, but they had agreed not to spend too much money on them, especially since Kurt didn't have much at the moment.

They were walking through the German Village when Kurt told his boyfriend about his problem.

"I'm probably going to have to sell some of my clothes on eBay if I want to have any money for Christmas presents," he complained.

Blaine, whose head had been lying on Kurt's shoulder, looked up, but then quickly looked away.

"I know you don't like it, but maybe you could work at the shop as well. It's actually not that bad."

Kurt thought Blaine was lucky, because he only worked when Burt wasn't there, but he knew he probably wouldn't be as lucky and he wasn't too keen on having to spend more time with his father than was absolutely necessary. But maybe he could endure it in the name of fashion.

"Let's not talk about that today. Today is all about us," he deflected, nudging Blaine with his elbow. Blaine looked at him with so much love that Kurt felt his knees go weak for a moment, especially when Blaine leaned in and kissed him right in the middle of the sidewalk.

"What was that for?" he asked as soon as his heartbeat had slowed down again.

"I just love you. And I'm not afraid to show it. Why should I have to hide how much I love you?"

"I know, let's just enjoy it today while we can before we have to return to the real world," Kurt said and then proceeded to show Blaine just how much he meant it when he leaned in and initiated another kiss that left both of them breathless and earned them a wolf whistle from a couple on the other side of the street.

***

They didn't do anything special during the rest of the day, but Kurt still thought it was one of the best days of his life. For one day, he and Blaine were like everyone else. They knew it was stupid to believe that Columbus was this magical place where everyone was okay with their relationship, but if someone gave them looks, Kurt didn't notice them because he only had eyes for his boyfriend.

They had dinner at a little tapas restaurant where they tried to feed each other bites of food until Blaine accidentally dropped olives into Kurt's lap and it was a testament to how much Kurt loved his boyfriend that he didn't jump up immediately to rush to the restroom.

Sharing dessert was thankfully more successful, mostly because Kurt was nearly sitting in Blaine's lap by the time they were done.

They were allowed to stay out till two o’clock, courtesy of Carole Kurt suspected, and so they grabbed two blankets from Kurt's car and sat down bundled up in them in Schiller park, which was closest to the restaurant.

"Do you want your present now?" Kurt asked after they had sat snuggled up together in silence for a while.

"Being here with you is enough. I don't need anything else," Blaine whispered.

Kurt was glad to know that he and Blaine were on the same page.

"It's not much, but I made it for you," Kurt assured him before he handed Blaine a small wrapped box. Blaine slowly opened it and Kurt could see his face light up even in the dark.

"You made me a tie with little music notes on it?" Kurt nodded.

"They are the opening notes for ‘Baby it's cold outside’- the first song we sang together," he explained.

"I love it. I love you. I can't say it often enough. Thank you so much."

Blaine suddenly pushed him onto his back and they kissed passionately for a few moments until Kurt remembered he was actually lying on the ground in a park and he gently pushed Blaine off of him.

"Sorry," Blaine apologized but the smile on his face told Kurt that Blaine wasn't sorry at all.

"I should have gone first," Blaine whispered. "Mine's nowhere near as good as yours."

Kurt would never admit it, but he couldn't wait to see what Blaine had gotten for him. So he liked presents; sue him. He eagerly accepted the flat package and quickly unwrapped it. It contained a framed picture of the two of them that someone must have taken while they were still at Dalton.

"Wes took it the Monday you asked me out. He didn't know we had finally confessed our feelings for each other and so he took the picture to show us how in love we looked to get us together. I totally forgot to show you the picture because I was busy freaking out over what to wear for our first date," Blaine explained.

"Wow, so it's an anniversary picture," Kurt exclaimed and hugged Blaine tightly. Once he let him go Blaine looked him in the eye before he spoke again.

"You see how happy we look in this picture?" Kurt nodded. "That's how happy you've made me every single day since the day that picture was taken."

Kurt felt tears welling up in his eyes. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever told him.

"Even when we fight?" he teased to keep his emotions in check.

"Even when we fight," Blaine promised. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Kurt couldn't keep his tears in any longer. Blaine had been his light in the dark the past few months, but it was a relief to hear that Blaine felt the same way about him.

He took Blaine's hand and helped him up.

"Come on. How about we go back to my house and not watch a movie until we have to go back to Burt's house," he suggested.

Blaine immediately pulled him toward the car. "I like the way you're thinking, Mr. Hummel."

***

Burt was under a costumer's car when he heard footsteps approaching. He slid out from under the car and to say he was surprised to see his son standing there didn't cover it at all.

     "What can I do for you?"

     "Can I still work here? I need some money," Kurt answered quickly and Burt could see that it was hard for Kurt to ask that. He never wanted to be the kind of father his own kids feared, but here he was.

     "I could use some help in the office. I don't really understand all that computer crap." There was no way he would let Kurt near a car until he had the all clear from his doctor.

     "How much would you pay me?" Kurt demanded to know.

     "Same as Finn and Blaine. You can come in whenever you want as long as the work I'll need you for is done by the end of the week. Sounds fair?"

     Kurt seemed to consider his offer for a moment before he nodded.

     "Good, you can start tomorrow after school. I'll write you a list of things that need to be taken care of."

     He was about to slide back under the car when Kurt's voice stopped him. "Thanks by the way for Thanksgiving. You didn't have to do that."

     Burt knew what it must have cost Kurt to say that.

     "It was nothing. They shouldn't have talked about your mom like that and I don't care much for religion.”

     Kurt didn't say anything else so Burt just added, "See you at home, Kurt," before he went back to work.

     He knew they still had a long way to go to just being comfortable in the same room, but it was a start.

 

 


	17. Daddy Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kurt and Blaine argue, agree that they both have daddy issues and make up. Make up as in taking advantage of an empty house.

**Daddy Issues**

     Carole had just toed off her shoes after another long shift at the coffee shop when her stepson trudged in.

     "I guess we're both happy to be done with work for the day, right?" she joked as he slumped down next to her on the couch.

       "Why do you even work there if you hate it this much?" Kurt asked her.

     "I don't have much of a choice," she told him honestly. "I never got to go to college because I had Finn two month after my high school graduation and with Finn's dad passing not even a year later I always had to work to support my family."

     Kurt nodded and looked thoughtful. "What would you do if you could take your pick?" he asked her after a few moments of silence.

     Carole was surprised. No one had ever asked her that, not even Burt or Finn. She just hoped Kurt wouldn't think it was stupid. She must have said that last part out loud because Kurt quickly assured her there were no stupid dreams in his opinion because otherwise he'd have to join the club.

     "I'd like to have my own little bistro that would sell specialties from the south. I love to cook but the most I've been allowed to do in past jobs was make sandwiches. And without a business degree it's near impossible to get a loan from the bank," she added as an afterthought.

     "Why don't you sign up for some classes at the community college in Dayton? You are still young. It's not too late," Kurt encouraged her.

     She knew Kurt was right, because at close to thirty-five she wasn't that old yet. Many of her former classmates were just now starting to have kids.

     "Maybe I should. You and I could look through the course catalogue together if you wanted," she told Kurt with a smile.

     Kurt clapped excitedly. "Great. I'll pick them up after school on Monday.

     "You know, maybe that will show Finn that if I can do it, he can do it too," Carole mused. "That boy could use a positive role model. All he does is run around with this new friend of his,"

     "Puck," Kurt interrupted and Carole nodded, "and all they do is get into trouble."

     "Well, Puck definitely has a talent for getting into trouble," Kurt agreed. "No wonder Finn likes him so much." Kurt took a jab at Finn.

     "But you know what? I don't want to worry about that right now. It's just us at the moment, so why don't you help me with some of my Christmas presents?"

     Carole knew the offer would cheer Kurt up immediately and together they launched into a discussion about potential gifts.

***

     Kurt was sitting at his desk finishing up his homework when there was a knock on his door and Blaine came in. Kurt turned around in his chair to face his boyfriend.

     "How was work?" he asked because they had missed each other at the shop.

     "The usual; mostly oil and tire changes. What did you do after work?"

     Kurt looked at Blaine questioningly.

     "You are only doing your homework right now and I know you always do it straight after school or work, even on Fridays, unless you have something else to do," Blaine explained.

       Kurt smiled. Blaine knew him so well. "Carole asked me to help her with her Christmas presents. You know I'm the best when it comes to gifts," he said cheekily.

       "Well maybe you can help me too then. I've already bought most of my presents but I'm not so sure about the one I got for Burt. Do you think a new tool belt is a good idea?" Kurt just gaped at Blaine.

       "You got my father a gift?" he asked incredulously.

       "Of course, didn't you?" Blaine asked looking confused as well.

     "Why would I? After how he treated me. Just because he's nicer now doesn't mean all is forgiven. He still hasn't even apologized to me."

     "Well, at least your father is trying to make things work."

     Blaine had jumped up from Kurt's bed and was pacing the room.

     "Why are you so upset? Why do you care so much about me not getting along with Burt? It's not like he is your father."

     He realized too late what he'd just said but the damage was already done. Kurt had never seen Blaine so angry before, at least not because of him.

     "Your dad made some wrong choices but at least he gives a shit. I haven't heard from mine since last February when he signed away is parental rights."

     Before Kurt could argue back, Blaine opened Kurt's bedside drawer and took out the keys for Kurt's house.

     "What are you doing?" he demanded. Now he was definitely angry too. How could Blaine call Burt's treatment of him "wrong choices"?

     "I'm going to spend the night at your house because I really don't want to say something right now I'm going to regret in the morning. I love you, but I can't talk to you until I've calmed down. Call me when you are ready to have a normal conversation."

     Before Kurt knew it Blaine had left his room and a few seconds later he heard the front door open and close. He knew on some level that Blaine was right, because he was sure he would have said some more things he'd regret later if they'd continued their argument, but he was also pissed that Blaine had run out in the middle of it.

     He would give Blaine time to cool off and as soon as Blaine apologized they would be okay again. He turned back to his homework but couldn't concentrate so he gave up a few minutes later and got ready for bed.

     It took him a long time to fall asleep because he kept repeating the argument in his mind. At least, Blaine had told him he loved him before he left. That had to count for something.

***

     Finn knew something was up when he went into the kitchen the next morning and it was empty. He knew his mom and Burt were at work, but usually by the time he got up on weekends, Kurt and Blaine were already up making breakfast.

     He fixed himself a grilled cheese sandwich and was proud he didn't burn it for once. Kurt came downstairs as he was putting it on a plate looking like he hadn't slept at all.

     "Dude, you look like shit." Kurt just walked past him and fixed himself some coffee. Apparently Finn wasn't the only person who didn't like mornings. "Where's Blaine? Aren't you usually attached at the hip?"

     Kurt was staring intently at his cup when he answered. "Blaine and I had a fight last night. He's at my mom's house right now."

     Finn was surprised. He didn't think they ever fought. "Dude, just apologize. Chicks love it when you do even if you haven't done anything wrong."

    “Blaine's not a chick," Kurt glared at him but it lacked its usual strength. Finn wasn't even scared.

     "Doesn't matter. If you apologize first, they owe you. That's like a law or something," Finn explained. At least Kelly had always been exceptionally nice to him when he had apologized.

     "Just make sure you know what you are supposed to apologize for because otherwise they're going to be even more mad."

     Finn was glad he could share his knowledge. After all, he'd been dating since he was thirteen.

     "I'm not going to apologize. If someone needs to apologize it's him," Kurt shot back and glared at his coffee. He must have realized that it didn't work on Finn today.

     "And just so you know, as my brother you're supposed to be on my side." Finn gaped at Kurt.

    "You think I'm your brother?" Kurt seemed surprised he'd said that as well, but he quickly caught himself.

     "Why fight it if you can't change it?" Finn didn't know how Kurt meant that but it was a lot nicer than the other stuff Kurt had said to him in the past.

     "Thanks, dude. I guess I hope you work it out. I'm nowhere near as good as you and Blaine at making breakfast."

     Kurt gave him a stiff nod and Finn decided it was time to take his plate upstairs for a COD marathon.

***

     Kurt had been thinking about what Finn had said all morning. Not that he planned to take his advice, but he had to admit to himself that he probably should apologize to Blaine as well, after Blaine had apologized to him.

     Burt and Carole were at work, Santana out with Brittany, Finn was playing video games and Blaine was still M.I.A. He hadn't even texted him so far. So Kurt was bored. Bored enough to start reorganizing the hallway closet.

     His shoulder and ankle had healed and his ribs only hurt from time to time when he moved to fast. Lifting some cardboard boxes shouldn't be a problem. Or so he thought.

     He was standing on a chair trying to pull one of the bigger boxes down from a shelf when his ribs suddenly protested and he let go of the box, which fell to the floor spilling its contents. He slowly and carefully climbed off the chair and started repacking the box when he came across an envelope that had his name on it.

     Kurt checked that the envelope wasn't sealed and when he saw that it wasn't, he quickly opened it. Inside were two tickets for the Columbus Christmas Ice Revue and a credit card receipt that had his father's name on it. He suddenly had a quite vivid flashback to the first Christmas after his parents' divorce. His dad had kept telling him for days that he wasn't interested in that stuff when Kurt had begged him to take him, but in the end Burt had agreed and they had had a nice afternoon together.

     If this was his Christmas present it would be the first one he'd appreciate in nearly seven years. His father clearly had spent some time thinking about Kurt's present, he didn't believe Carole knew about that first Christmas, so maybe he should make the effort as well and get his father a present.

     After all, hadn't he told Blaine that he wanted his father to try harder? He hated that he couldn't talk to Blaine about it right now.

     Kurt put the box back into the closet just as the front door opened and Carole called his name. He went downstairs and helped her unpack the groceries she had bought.

     "Blaine's not back yet?" she asked once they were done.

     "You know about that?" Kurt asked surprised.

     "He texted me last night so I wouldn't be worried. Do you want to talk about it?" Carole asked him.

            Kurt considered the offer for a moment before he shook his head. "Is is okay if I spend the night at Jada'?" he asked. "I need some advice from the girls."

     Carole pulled him into a quick hug. "Sure honey. And don't worry. I'm sure you and Blaine will work things out." Kurt just hoped Carole was right.

***

     Kurt had called Mercedes soon after his talk with Carole and had given her an abridged version of last night's events. She had told him to get his ass over to her house ASAP and that she would invite Rachel as well.

     When Kurt arrived at Mercedes' house shortly after six, she immediately dragged him upstairs to her room where Rachel and ice cream were already waiting.

     Rachel shoved a bowl into his hand as soon as he had sat down on the bed. "Now spill and I want all the dirty details," she demanded.

     So Kurt told them everything about the fight, his talk with Finn and Burt's Christmas present. When he was done Mercedes hit him over the head with a pillow.

     "Hey!" he exclaimed and quickly tried to fix his hair.

     "The way I see it you are both stupid. You both said some things in the heat of the moment that you regret saying. The only thing keeping you apart is your pride," Mercedes lectured him before Rachel butted in.

     "I'm usually all for grand romantic gestures but in this case I think you should just go to him and talk. I'll drive you myself if I have to," she threatened.

     Kurt was glad he had his two best girlfriends, because they were never afraid to tell him what he needed to hear. He wanted to go to Blaine because even though they had only been apart for a day he already missed him.

     "Thanks ladies. I guess I'm going to go now," he said as he picked up his overnight bag.

     "And don't you dare come back here tonight," Mercedes called after him as he waked down the stairs.

     Kurt had no intentions to do so. If everything went well with Blaine, Blaine would hopefully agree to come back to the house with Kurt.

***

     Blaine had spent most of the day composing and deleting texts for Kurt but he didn't want to come off as too needy – after all he had told Kurt to come to him – and he also had his pride and for once didn't want to be the better person. By the end of the day, however, he was ready to call Kurt and beg for his forgiveness but discovered he had left his charger at home and his phone was dead.

     He got dressed quickly and grabbed the keys to the piece of junk he had bought off one of Burt's costumers for basically nothing, before opening the front door where he promptly collided with Kurt who had been about to ring the doorbell if his raised finger was any indication. For a moment neither of them said anything before Kurt straightened up and looked directly at Blaine.

     "Can I come in? We need to talk."

       Blaine stepped aside to let Kurt in.

       "Were you going somewhere?" Kurt asked him as he took off his coat.

       "Your house. I didn't want to wait any longer," Blaine explained. Apparently he didn't sound as neutral as he had panned, because Kurt immediately launched into an apology.

       "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner but I needed time to work a few things out first." Blaine took Kurt's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

       "Come on, let's talk downstairs."

***

     They were sitting on Kurt's old bed facing each other as Blaine decided to make the first move.

     "I'm sorry I downplayed what your dad did to you. You hit a sore spot when you said Burt wasn't my dad because actually he treats me a lot better than mine did, but I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm sorry."

     During his little speech he had taken both of Kurt's hands into his own to keep them connected. Kurt gently squeezed his hands before he took a deep breath.

     "Thank you for saying that. You really hurt me because you made me sound like a whiny little bitch who had no idea what real problems are. But I'm sorry for what I said too. I knew why you were feeling the way you felt and I used it against you."

     Kurt looked down at their entwined fingers.

     "You've been one of the only persons who has never hurt me in the last couple of months and then I go ahead and hurt you on purpose. I'm a horrible boyfriend." Kurt looked close to tears as he said that.

     Blaine surged forward and pulled Kurt into his arms. "No you are not. We were both angry and we said things we shouldn't have, which I guess is normal when people fight. So let's just agree that we both have daddy issues we need to work through. Together if possible."

     Kurt looked at him with so much love and adoration that Blaine felt his heartbeat accelerate. Before he knew it Kurt had pushed him onto his back and was straddling his hips as he made quick work unbuttoning Blaine's cardigan and shirt.

     All the uncertainty, he'd sometimes seen in Kurt's eyes when they had been in a situation like this where boundaries were unclear, was gone. He thought Kurt had never looked more handsome than he did in that moment.

     "I don't want to hold anything back from you any longer," Kurt whispered against Blaine's lips.

     "Are you sure? What about your parents?" Blaine had to ask.

       The last thing he wanted to do right now was do something that would upset Kurt, just because he had misunderstood Kurt's intentions.

       "They think I'm spending the night at Mercedes’," Kurt explained before he leaned in and captured Blaine's mouth in a dirty kiss. "I've never been more sure about anything else," Kurt panted against his lips after he broke the kiss and then proceeded to show Blaine exactly how much he meant it.

***

     Kurt woke up with a smile on his face the next morning still spooning Blaine. He was glad he and Blaine had finally taken that step together because he felt even closer to Blaine now, if that was even possible.

     He felt Blaine stir in his arms before his boyfriend turned around and gave him a sleepy smile.

     "Good morning," Kurt whispered before he kissed Blaine on the lips, morning breath be damned.

     He had Blaine back and that was all he cared about in that moment.

     "Are you okay?" Blaine asked him after they had stared at each other silently for a few moments. Kurt kissed him again to show him how okay he was.

     "Never been better. Come on, let's go home."

     They got dressed in silence while Kurt pondered what it meant that he had just referred to his new house as home. His mom's house would always hold a special place in his heart, especially after last night, but his new house was starting to feel like home too.

     Kurt wasn't sure if he should worry about that or not, but for now he was content watching Blaine struggle with the buttons of his shirt until Kurt pushed his hands away and finished the rest of them for him.

     They had all the time in the world to figure things out together.

 


	18. T'is the season

It was Friday, a week before Christmas, and work at the shop was piling up thanks to heavy snowfall over the last couple of days. The kids hadn't been much help though, because they had to study for finals and so he was glad he'd be closing the garage for a few days between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

He had plans to visit an auto show in Cleveland a few days after Christmas and Carole had promised to come with him if she didn't have to work. Burt finally closed up around eight and drove home quickly so he wouldn't miss all of Friday night dinner.

He could hear raised voices coming from the living room when he entered the house through the garage. As he got closer it became clear who was arguing.

"You grew up near the Mexican boarder and you failed Spanish!" Santana asked incredulously as Burt rounded the corner.

"I know you're failing geography as well but even you should know they speak Spanish there," she continued.

Finn was what? Did Carole know about that? Even he had picked up some Spanish from one of his mechanics, so he couldn't believe Finn had actually managed to fail. Apparently Carole was aware of the situation, because she was sitting in the living room glaring at Finn.

Burt cleared his throat to announce his presence.

"Thought you wanted to try out for the football team again next year?" he addressed Finn after kissing his wife hello. Finn nodded.

"Well, buddy, then you need to start getting better grades. Maybe one of the boys can help you out," Burt said pointing at Kurt and Blaine, who for whatever reason were sharing a chair again.

His suggestion was immediately met with a round of nos coming from Finn, Kurt and Blaine. Burt raised an eyebrow at them.

"Well, I mean Kurt and I take French and I only took Italian for two years at Dalton which is close to Spanish but not the same, so we wouldn't be able to help him," Blaine explained.

"And we are already busy enough as it is with AP classes, Glee and work. Get him a tutor," Kurt continued.

"Alright, it was just as suggestion. As soon as school starts again we'll see what we can do, okay?"

Carole shot him a grateful smile as Finn nodded.

"Now, Santana have you reached your parents yet?" Santana shook her head.

"I left them a message that they would find me here but that's all. I didn't really want to tell them my whole sob story on the phone," she added defiantly.

"Alright, I guess we can all talk when they get here," he stared at Santana until she nodded. "Now, where is my dessert?" Burt joked before snuggling up to his wife on the couch with a piece of pie in his hand she handed him.

* * *

 

Kurt and Santana were spying on Burt once again because they wanted to know what he'd be saying to her parents. Santana had decided to let Burt talk to them, because – as she had told Kurt – she wasn't sure how they would react even though they were usually quite liberal. So when his father had offered to talk to her parents Santana had immediately agreed.

They didn't know exactly when Santana's parents would show up so they were staking out the living room. When the doorbell rang a while later the two of them hid in the hallway just as they heard Burt invite someone in.

"Burt Hummel, nice to meet you." Kurt heard his father say.

"Marco and that's my wife Maribel," a man who had to be Santana's dad said before Burt led a couple into the living room.

Santana had definitely gotten her good looks from her mother, Kurt thought as he studied the couple.

"You know why you are here?" Burt asked them after a moment of silence.

"Santana told us to come here. We didn't know why, so we decided to drop by my mother's first," Santana's mom explained before she trailed off.

Kurt could feel Santana's grip on his hand tighten.

"We are grateful you let our daughter stay with you," Santana's dad continued. "At least I assume that's why she asked us here."

Burt nodded.

"Unfortunately my stepson was involved in Santana's involuntary coming out. So we thought letting her stay with us until you came back was the least we could do."

"Well, like I said. We are grateful, but Santana can come home with us now. We are staying till at least July which should give us plenty of time to figure things out," Marco said.

Santana's grip loosened a bit.

"Are you okay with all this?" Burt asked.

Why did his dad all of a sudden turn into the champion for gay teens? Kurt thought angrily.

"We used to joke that Santana and Brittany were like an old married couple because they were so close," Santana's mom told Burt.

"I think it might take some getting used to the fact that that might become a reality one day, but we'll work it out," she continued.

Kurt pulled a silently crying Santana into his arms. He wished his father had reacted like that to his own coming out instead of dragging him across the country. But there was no changing that now.

"Why don't you come join us for Christmas dinner?" Burt asked Santana's parents in the living room.

"Hiram and LeRoy Berry are coming with their daughter and her boyfriend as well and I can tell you from my own experience that they can give great advice," Burt chuckled.

"That would be nice. I think it's time now to say hello to Santana though. It's been too long." Santana's mom said as she stood up.

Kurt hugged Santana again before he whispered into her ear.

"You go and be with your family. I'll pack your things."

“Thanks Kurt. For everything."

He knew how much that meant coming from Santana. He would really miss having her around all the time, as unlikely as that had seemed only weeks ago.

* * *

 

When Carole came home from work the next day she found Burt in a familiar position - with his head in his hands.

"What's wrong? You didn't pick up another stray, did you?" she joked to lighten the mood. Burt shook his head.

"Did you talk to your mom?" he asked her. She suddenly understood why he was acting the way he was.

"She's at that 50s+ singles cruise again. She told me this year she is going to find Mr. Right and not just Mr. Right for the week."

Carole rolled her eyes. After all the stories her mom had told her she was surprised hers had been the only teen pregnancy in the family.

"I take it your mom got your message?" she asked Burt when he didn't react to her previous statement.

"She did. And she wasn't happy. I'm not sure she bought that the only reason they aren't invited is that your mom isn't coming either, but at least that's not a lie anymore," her husband told her.

"You said yourself it would be for the best if they didn't come after what happened Thanksgiving. I'm glad you're putting your family first this time."

She knew it hadn't been easy for Burt to tell his parents they weren't welcome for Christmas.

"Can you imagine your parents, my mom, the Lopez and Berrys all together in one room?" Carole asked Burt to distract him from his guilt. Burt snorted.

"Your mom would love that and my parents would probably run out of prayers before dinner even started."

Now that Burt was making jokes again her job was done. She put her head on his shoulder and just enjoyed the peace and quiet that would be over as soon as the kids got back from their Glee Christmas party and Finn from wherever he was right now. Thinking about Christmas she remembered something.

"I found your Christmas present for Kurt. Want to tell me what's that all about?"

Burt didn't answer at first but when he did he sounded sad.

"The first Christmas after Lizzy and I got divorced I came up here for a week. I took Kurt to see that show because he just wouldn't shut up about it and I didn't want to ruin the visit by telling him no. Everything pretty much went downhill after that so it's one of the better memories. I just hope it's a good memory for Kurt as well."

Carole kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm glad you're trying now because I really hope we can all become a family one day and not just a necessity. "

"You don't think it's too late for that?" Burt asked her quietly.

"You just keep doing your best. Maybe we all just need to have a little faith."

* * *

 

Christmas eve had actually turned out to be fun. Santana had shown up with her parents in tow first and the Berrys with Rachel and her boyfriend Jesse had followed soon after.

While the grown-ups had talked in a corner, the gleeks plus Finn and Jesse had sung Christmas songs that in his opinion sounded better and better after every class of eggnog they consumed.

Neither Burt nor Carole had said anything about it apart from a perfunctory you puke you clean it, too busy with their own celebrations. They all were in need of a little holiday spirit and not just the spiritual one.

After how tense Thanksgiving had been, it had been nice to just relax and enjoy the festivities. They exchanged presents with Rachel and Santana before he and Kurt snuck upstairs to his bedroom but unfortunately Burt wasn't drunk enough to let it slide and told them they had to be in their respective bedrooms by the time he and Carole went to bed.

The next morning he was woken up by Finn banging on his door, a murderous looking Kurt in tow. Apparently Finn was a giant trapped in the body of a six year old who couldn't wait to see what Santa had brought him.

They were joined by Burt and Carole in the living room a while later, where they opened their presents. Finn had gotten Kurt a gift card for the mall and had bought Blaine new strings for his guitar.

He and Kurt, in return, had gotten Finn "Guitar Hero" for his Playstation, mostly because Kurt knew Blaine wanted to play it as well.

Carole got a scarf and necklace from them, Kurt had picked out, and in the end they had also agreed to get Burt a gift together, so in addition to the tool belt he got a few new tools as well.

Blaine had been surprised when Burt had handed him back the keys to his car, after he had taken them away because he thought it was too dangerous to drive the piece of junk in an Ohio winter. At his questioning look, Burt had told him that he and the other mechanics had fixed up his car with new parts and had given it a necessary paint job as well.

He quickly wiped a tear from his eye and Burt was quick to assure him he only did it because Carole would kill him if either of the teens in the house ended up in the hospital because of a non-working car when he owned a garage.

Kurt's present had been next and they both tried to act surprised when he opened it. Kurt had told him about the tickets once they had made up after their fight.

"I'd like to take you, Kurt, but if you'd rather go with Blaine that'd be okay too," Burt said to Blaine's surprise. Blaine immediately shook his head.

"I'm not a fan of ice skating. I nearly broke my tailbone once," he confessed.

Besides, a little father-son alone time was probably exactly what Kurt and Burt needed.

After they had opened the rest of the presents they had a huge breakfast, before Finn excused himself to go play his new video games and Blaine, after much begging, convinced Kurt to go for a walk with him.

* * *

 

Kurt hadn't minded going out that much but he just liked to hear Blaine beg. Carole had gotten him a fabulous new coat he'd been dying to put on ever since he had unwrapped it.

Not many people were out that Saturday morning and so Kurt took Blaine's gloved hand into his own as they circled the block. He relished the quiet as he thought about how different this year's Christmas had been compared to last year's.

Last year he and Blaine had just gotten together and he had introduced Blaine to his mom. It had been just the three of them but he hadn't felt like there was something missing like he did this year.

"Would you come with me to visit my mom?" he asked Blaine as they approached his house again."I…"

"I'd love to," Blaine cut him off. "I understand."

They got into Kurt's car and drove to the cemetery in comfortable silence. Kurt could see a few footsteps in the snow but mostly they were alone as they made their way to the grave.

Kurt knelt down in the snow, not caring about his clothes for once, and cleaned the headstone with his gloved hand.

"Hi mom," he whispered as Blaine knelt down next to him. "Blaine and I wanted to tell you Merry Christmas." Kurt looked over to Blaine. "That's not stupid, is it?"

"You can tell her whatever you want as long as it helps you. I would never judge you," Blaine assured him.

Ever since he had moved back to Lima, he had visited his mom's grave at least once a month, sometimes with Blaine, sometimes alone. It felt good telling her about the things that were happening in his life.

"So, you know how I told you about Thanksgiving? Christmas was much better. Burt told the grandparents they can't come and we invited the Berrys and Santana's – I told you about her - parents over." Kurt started again.

"I even got Burt a gift, can you believe it? Though you have to blame Blaine for that."

"Hey," Blaine piped up. "Don't you believe a word he tells you."

Kurt smiled at Blaine before he continued.

"I just wanted to tell you that I miss you and that I wish you could have been there with us. Burt's trying to get along with me now and Carole's really great but it's just not the same."

A tear trickled down his face and he quickly wiped it away. Was this ever going to get easier?

"But you don't have to worry about me, mom. Blaine is taking really good care of me like he promised last Christmas.

"And I'll keep trying my best to keep him happy," Blaine promised.

"Well, we got to go. It's December so it's really cold. I'll talk to you soon. Love you, mom."

Kurt took Blaine's offered hand and together they walked back to the car. Christmas might have not been perfect, but it had gone better than expected and for that he was grateful.

* * *

 

Two days before New Year's Eve Burt found himself in a hotel bar in Cleveland. He hadn't planned to stay overnight after Carole had told him she had to work, but some of the roads leading back to Lima were closed due to a snowstorm and they had agreed it would be better if Burt waited it out in Cleveland.

He'd ordered a beer for him – the normal kind, because what Carole didn't know wouldn't hurt him – and had just taken the first sip when a man in an expensive looking suit sat down next to him at the bar and ordered Bourbon. Burt didn't think it was his first one that night.

The man took a look around the bar before something must have caught his eye because he suddenly sneered.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" he asked.

When Burt looked at him questioningly the man pointed at a table in the back where two men were holding hands.

When Burt didn't immediately comment on it he added.

"My son's a fag too. I'm just glad I'll never have to see him act like that. I'm Jarred Anderson by the way."

It may just be a coincidence but what if that man was Blaine's father? He could tell the guy he was an asshole later. Right now he needed to find out more.

"Burt Hudson," he introduced himself.

He didn't know if Blaine's father knew about Kurt, but he didn't want to give it away too soon.

"I have a son too, Finn. What's yours called?" he asked in a hopefully nonchalant tone.

"Blaine, but I don't consider him my son anymore. No son of mine is going to be a fag."

The man's speech was slightly slurred and Burt figured that was the reason why the man was so ready to share this information with a stranger.

"I feel you," he told Jarred to keep him talking.

"Caught him with his little butt buddy on my living room couch. I would have kicked him out that second, but I can't have my business partners know about that." Mr. Anderson continued.

"Where is he now?" Burt asked, curious to know where Mr. Anderson thought Blaine was.

"Couldn't care less. He gets money every month till he turns 18 because I don't need a scandal on my hands. I haven't heard from him since."

Burt knew he hadn't the best track record when it came to dealing with his own son, but sitting next to Jarred Anderson he wanted nothing more than punch the man in the face. But he couldn't do that just yet.

"What about your wife? She agrees with you?"

Maybe there was a chance Blaine's mom was supportive.

"Tala would never disagree with me. Brought her back from the Philippines when I was younger. She's still pretty hot for her age – you wanna see?"

Burt just hoped the man only talked about his wife like that because he was drunk. But he was curious to know what Blaine's mother looked like. Mr. Anderson took out his wallet and flipped it open.

Burt barely suppressed his surprised gasp when he saw the woman in the picture. He'd seen her before at the PFLAG meetings in Toledo. He remembered her saying that her husband thought she was at a book club meeting because he would never allow her to come to a meeting like this.

Some other woman had asked her why she didn't just leave her husband and support her son, but Tala had told them that she was a housewife with no income and nothing more than a high school diploma.

Burt had no idea what to do with this new information. He didn't know anything about Blaine's relationship with his parents apart from the fact that he was kicked out nearly a year ago. Did Blaine think his mom hated him too? What he did know was that he was done listening to the crap Mr. Anderson was saying.

"She's pretty. I bet Blaine got all his good traits from her," he told the man who looked at him confusedly. "Now that I met you I can tell you that Blaine should be happy he turned out the way he did with a father like you," he continued.

"Excuse me," Mr. Anderson exclaimed. "Who the fuck do you think you are to talk to me like that?" the man asked as he pushed off his chair and swayed for a moment.

"I'm the guy who's been taking care of your son for the past three months and before that my ex-wife did!" People were already looking at them, but Burt didn't care.

"Blaine's a polite, intelligent young man who deserves better than a father like you," he yelled in Mr. Anderson's face glad that he had a couple of inches on the man.

"Why would you care, it's not like your son's a fag." Blaine's father shot back clutching the bar.

"My son is your son's boyfriend. And I couldn't be happier he found someone like your son," Burt retorted trying to keep as calm as possible for the sake of his blood pressure.

Burt was surprised when he realized he hadn't just said that in the heat of the moment but actually meant it. To Burt's utter surprise Mr. Anderson started to laugh.

"I knew that queer crap was just a phase. That's like he's basically dating a girl."

That was when Burt punched him.

Before he knew it he was being escorted out of the bar and the manager told him he should be glad that most of the other patrons had overheard the argument and would vouch for him should Mr. Anderson call the cops. He also told him he was allowed to spend the night because of the storm but to please check out in the morning.

Burt went up to his room and iced his swollen knuckles while trying to analyze the evening's events. Why was he so ready to defend a boy who wasn't even his son? Granted he had only punched the other man when he had said something about Kurt. Something that Burt might have said as well not that long ago if in not so many words.

Burt had felt the need to protect Blaine from his father just as Elisabeth had done with Kurt. He finally understood why she had left him all those years ago and it made tears well up in his eyes.

He had never meant to become this monster that his son had to be protected from. He swore to himself that he would try harder to make things better between him and Kurt. He wanted to be the person that protected his son not the one his son needed to be protected from. This had to be a new year's resolution he would keep.

He would decide what to do with all this new information once he had gotten a couple of hours of sleep.


	19. Secrets

Lima, OH, January 10, 2011

Blaine was about to finish another oil change for Ms. Miller's car – he didn't understand why that lady needed one every other month – when Burt came into the shop. When he spotted Blaine, he came over to the car and patted him on the shoulder.

"When you're done with that, can I talk to you for a moment?" Burt asked, who for whatever reason looked incredibly nervous.

Burt wasn't going to fire him, was he? He liked earning his own money, not having to rely on his parents' money all the time. He'd only turn seventeen early February, which meant it was another year before he could access his trust fund. Still, he nodded and told Burt he would be there soon.

After he had sent Ms. Miller on her way, he wiped his hands on a rag and walked over to Burt's office who told him to come in once he had knocked.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked Burt as he sat down in one of the chairs Burt kept in his office.

Burt seemed to think about his answer for a moment.

"We've lived in the same house for a while now and I realized I don't know a lot about you, apart from what you told me on the plane." Blaine was surprised that this was what Burt wanted to talk about, but told Burt to go on, nevertheless.

"I'm assuming you didn't just live with Kurt and Elisabeth because my ex-wife liked you so much," Burt asked and all Blaine could do was nod.

It wasn't a secret that he'd been kicked out of his house.

"I know it might be a sore subject, but can ask about your parents?"

"Why do you want to know about them? They made it clear I'm not welcome anymore, so you can't send me back," Blaine immediately shot back.

"I'm not going to send you back, Blaine. You've been nothing but polite and helpful all the time you've stayed with us. I'm just curious I guess. Was it just your dad or your mom as well?"

Blaine couldn't help but flashback to Valentine's Day last year. How his father had yelled at him and had made fun of Kurt. How his mom had just stood there with a blank expression on her face. It hurt too much to think about that.

"Why don't you care about your own son for a change," he suddenly yelled at Burt before storming out of the office. So much for polite and well mannered.

Why the hell did Burt have to poke his nose into this? He and Kurt had all those problems and Burt always seemed to pay more attention to Blaine. It wasn't fair. He didn't need to start trusting Burt, because it could be taken away at any second. His own father was living proof of that.

He was still livid when he arrived at home, but he put on a calm face because he didn't want to alert Kurt to the fight with his father. Some things were better kept secret.

* * *

 

Lima, OH, January 17, 2011

At first Finn had been pissed that his mom had found him a tutor who was only a sophomore. It wasn't that Sarah wasn't smart enough to do it, but it was just embarrassing that she knew more about his subjects than he did.

Sarah was not the type of girl Finn usually hung out with. She wasn't popular and preferred books to parties. But Finn had to admit she was pretty in a way. If she had been any other girl, he would just turn on his charm and she would be eating out of the palm of his hand in no time.

But Sarah was different. She called him out on his bullshit without sounding condescending – he was already learning new words from her – and didn't pretend to be anyone else just to be liked.

So it came as quite a shock when Finn realized after only one week that he liked Sarah, not because she was popular and could help his own reputation, but because of her. He had no clue how to deal with that.

He was walking down the hallway after another tutoring session when he saw Kurt come out of the choir room surrounded by a group of girls. Kurt was always with the girls; maybe he could help him. He was so out of his element he was actually considering asking his gay stepbrother for help with a girl. What had his life come to?

He waited till Blaine left for work at the shop - for some reason the dude had been quiet the last couple of days - to approach Kurt who was doing homework on the kitchen table.

"Hey Kurt, you got a sec?" he asked and sat down opposite Kurt.

"I'm not doing your homework for you. My answer has been no last year, and it's going to be no this year," Kurt told him without looking up from his papers.

"It's not that. I like someone and I could use some advice," Finn explained. That got Kurt's attention.

"Don't tell me you've developed feelings for a guy?" Kurt asked incredulously.

"What, dude, no!" Finn exclaimed. When he saw Kurt's expression he quickly added. "No offense, dude."

Kurt nodded before he spoke again.

"So if it's not about a guy why would you think I could help you?"

"You always hang out with the girls, you must have picked up something." Finn told him.

"I suppose. So what's the problem?" Kurt raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"Well, you know my tutor Sarah, right?" Kurt nodded. "I think I could really like her and I want to ask her out, but I don't know what to so say, because she isn't like any of my ex-girlfriends." Finn explained.

"Well, girls like it if you complement them. But don't lie. It's really important to be honest. Just tell her why you like her and ask her to dinner because you want to get to know her better. Take her some place nice and wear clean clothes. She's a year younger so you let her set the pace. Those of course only apply if she accepts in the first place. Just be on your best behavior, but still be the real you. You can't force her to like you," Kurt rattled off in quick succession.

For a moment Finn wished he had brought a pen and piece of paper. He felt like he was the one with little to no dating experience.

"Thanks, dude. I owe you one. Like if you ever need me to distract Burt or something like that," Finn offered.

"You're welcome. But please stop calling me dude," Kurt replied haughtily before he turned back to his homework.

Finn walked up to his own room and started on a plan to win Sarah over.

* * *

 

Finn was barely gone ten minutes when his father came in and asked if they could talk. He would never be able to finish his homework if all his family members wanted to talk to him today.

"Remember how I stayed the night in Cleveland after Christmas?" Burt asked him and Kurt nodded.

His father had acted strange when he had come home after that. He had alternated between staring at Kurt and staring at Blaine with in unreadable expression on his face, but hadn't explained. Maybe he would tell him now.

"I got into a fight with someone in the bar," Burt went on and Kurt looked surprised.

"Who with?" he asked his father. There had to be a reason why Burt was telling him that.

"Jarred Anderson."

Kurt paled. Blaine's father had gone crazy when he had found the two of them on his couch.

"You met Blaine's dad?" he whispered. Burt nodded.

"I didn't know it was him at first so we talked for a while. He's an ass if you ask me," his father continued. Kurt just nodded.

"And you got in a fight with him?"

"He said some things about you and Blaine I didn't agree with. I don't really want to repeat what he said though."

"Why are you telling me this?" Kurt wondered.

It was nice that his father had defended him, but why did he wait till now to tell him.

His father just looked at him for a moment.

"Meeting Blaine's father, I realized that I haven't been much of a father either and I apologize for that. I probably should have done that some time ago, but I guess I just didn't understand why I needed to. I'm not asking you to forgive me right now, but I promise that I will do my best from now on to make things easier for you."

Kurt blinked. He definitely hadn't expected that. But Burt was right. Kurt wasn't ready to forgive his father for the past eight years of his life.

"And secondly?" he asked instead of commenting on what his father had said.

"I talked to Mr. Anderson about his wife because I was curious. He showed me a picture and I realized that I've met her a couple of times at the PFLAG meetings in Toledo."

Kurt gasped. The evening was just full of surprises.

"But if she supports Blaine, why didn't she do something?" Kurt asked.

He couldn't understand why the woman had just stood by when Blaine had been kicked out if she supported him after all.

"She's afraid to stand up to her husband because she doesn't have a job and depends on him to support her." Burt explained.

"Does Blaine know about this? Is that why he's been sulking the past few days?" Kurt suddenly remembered Blaine's strange behavior.

He had asked Blaine about it, but Blaine assured him he was just stressed.

"I tried to talk to him about his parents but he ran out on me before I could tell him." Burt explained.

Kurt thought for a moment. Blaine thought his mom hated him. Who knew if he even wanted to see her? Maybe he should talk to Mrs. Anderson before he told Blaine about it, to make sure she was really supportive now.

"Don't tell him about his mom or dad. I'll take care of it," Kurt told his father. He would keep it a secret until he knew more.

* * *

Carole was preparing dinner in the kitchen when Burt came in and sat down at the kitchen table.

"I told Kurt about Cleveland," he told his wife. She gave him one of her looks. "And I apologized. You were right, I should have done that months ago."

Carole nodded.

"I'm just glad you finally did. Just don't expect everything to change for the better this instant just because you did," she reminded him.

"I know, that's why I need your help. You never had a problem with bonding with Kurt. Kurt and I, we aren't interested in the same things, so I don't know how to do that."

"Well," Carole was smirking now and Burt wasn't sure if he shouldn't be afraid. "You've been promising me for years now that you'll cook for me on our anniversary. Kurt loves to cook; he could teach you something, I'm sure of it."

Burt groaned. He was a mess in the kitchen. The years between his divorce and getting together with Carole he had survived on take out, microwaveable meals and Lou's wife's cooking. He had only ever promised to cook for Carole because he knew she would never allow him into her kitchen.

"Fine. I'll do it. But if it doesn't work out, I reserve the right to say I told you so," he told his wife.

"Deal," she answered sweetly, but he could tell she was certain that little scheme of hers would work out. He guessed she was right. It couldn't get any worse than it was now.

* * *

 

Carole was well aware of all the spying that was going on in her house and so she decided it was time she joined in. No one could blame her for wanting to make sure her kitchen didn't burn down. She trusted Kurt; Burt – not so much.

"I just want you to know I'm only doing this because I don't want you to poison Carole," she heard Kurt say in the kitchen.

Carole was touched because for all she knew, Burt might actually poison her with his cooking.

"I'm not wearing an apron," she heard Burt complain and imagined the eye rolling Kurt surely was doing.

"Suit yourself, but don't complain if you get sauce all over that atrocity you call a shirt." Carole could barely stifle a laugh at that.

She had tried to get him into shirts that weren't flannel when they had started dating, but had given up shortly afterward when she realized Burt was a lost cause.

Carole listened fondly as they continued to bicker in the kitchen. Even if Burt didn't learn how to make a descent meal, at least she got the two of them to spend time together. Mission accomplished.


	20. Be my Valentine

Lima, OH, January 25, 2011

Kurt had decided to accompany his father and Finn to the PFLAG meeting the week before Blaine's seventeen's birthday so he would have a chance to talk to Blaine's mom. He just hoped the woman would be at the meeting.

Finn was asking all kinds of questions in the car because it would be his first meeting and Burt and Kurt tried to answer them to the best of their abilities. Kurt was thankful for the distraction because he did feel a little bad about going behind Blaine's back.

When they arrived at the community center, Burt took Finn with him to introduce him to some people while Kurt circled the room looking for Mrs. Anderson. He found the small woman at a table in the back where coffee and cookies were being served.

"Mrs. Anderson," he approached her cautiously. "I don't know if you remember me. I'm Kurt, Blaine's boyfriend." Mrs. Anderson looked him over for a few seconds before she nodded.

"You are still together?" she asked looking surprised. It was Kurt's time to nod.

Kurt thought that was the whole conversation because Blaine's mom just continued to stare, but when she spoke again there were tears in her eyes.

"Is he okay? Where does he live? I've wanted to call him so badly, but at first I was afraid my husband would find out and when I finally found the courage the number had been disconnected."

"My mom added him to our phone plan last year," Kurt explained, not sure if or how he should answer the first two questions.

Blaine's mom looked relieved at that.

"Oh, thank god. I know my husband gives him money, but I called Dalton and they told me he wasn't enrolled any longer and they didn't know where he transferred too. I was afraid something might have happened to him."

Kurt had to put her out of her misery.

"Blaine's been staying with me and my family for nearly a year now. We go to school together and he is doing very well all things considered." Mrs. Anderson gave him a small smile.

"Thank you for telling me that."

Kurt thought it was time to tell Blaine's mom the real reason for his visit.

"My father met your husband in Cleveland and recognized you in a picture. He was the one who told me you came here too."

Mrs. Anderson looked around curiously, probably trying to figure out who his dad was.

"It's the man with the baseball cap next to the giant teenager," Kurt told her.

"Burt is your father?" Blaine's mom asked surprised.

People always were surprised when they found out.

"Well, at least now I know who to thank for punching my husband. He didn't say who did it and tried to convince me he walked into a door," she chuckled and Kurt couldn't help it but laugh too.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Kurt said after moment. "My father told me about your situation and I wanted to make you an offer. I have a house that's currently empty, so if you wanted you could move in there until you got back on your feet. It's close to where we live now, so maybe you and Blaine could try to build a relationship again."

Kurt handed her a card before he continued.

"That's where Blaine lives now, if you ever decide you want to see him."

"Are you sure he would even want to talk to me? It's been nearly a year," Blaine's mom asked after she had put the card into her purse. Kurt shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. Blaine doesn't really talk about you, but I'll try and talk to him and see how he feels about you. Just think about my offer. I recently lost my mother and if there is a chance Blaine could have his back I'd do anything to make that happen."

"I'm so sorry. I promise I'll think about it."

"That's all I’m asking for right now."

Kurt said goodbye to Blaine's mom after that and told his father he would wait for them in the car. He had to figure out a way to talk to Blaine about his mom without giving away too much too early.

* * *

 

Finn had wanted to ask Sarah out ever since his talk with Kurt, but every time they had been alone together he had chickened out. Luckily, Kurt had given him an out when he had come downstairs to talk about the upcoming weekend.

"I'm throwing a little party for Blaine's birthday on Friday. Mostly the Gleeks, but I think they'll understand that I can't just kick you out of the house for it. Why don't you invite Sarah to the party? Tina and Artie are both sophomores as well, so she would know at least some one apart from you and I."

"Really dude?"

"Really, but if you don't stop calling me dude, I'll rescind my invitation," Kurt threatened.

Finn looked at him puzzled. Why did Kurt always have to use such big words?

"I'll take back my invitation."

"Oh, right. Got it, du … Kurt."

Blaine's party the following Friday had been fun and after some liquid courage he had finally asked Sarah for a date for Valentine's Day. He had wanted to take her out earlier, but then he figured a first date on Valentine's Day would be more romantic. Whatever happened at the date he owed Kurt one and he should probably make good on his promise.

Finn knew that Kurt and Blaine wanted to spend the weekend in Columbus for Valentine's Day and so he went to his stepfather and tried to convince him to let them go. He just hoped he had helped them, instead of ruining their chances.

* * *

 

Burt had been surprised when Finn had approached him to convince him to let his son and boyfriend spend the weekend in Columbus. He knew Carole would let them go because they'd been together for over a year and weren't kids any more, but he wasn't so sure. What if something happened there? Logically, he knew that they had spent the night there before and nothing or a least nothing bad had happened, but he was a father. It was his right to worry. It was time to talk to the Berrys again.

Hiram picked up after the phone had only rung one time this time and immediately asked Burt what was wrong.

"Kurt and Blaine want to spend the night in Columbus for Valentine's Day. I told them no when they wanted to go for their anniversary in November, but my wife thinks I should let them go. Would you let your seventeen year old daughter?"

Some day soon he really had to trust his own instincts when it came to his son and not always rely on others.

"I guess that depends on how long she has been dating the person she wants to go with. But we'd definitely sit her down for a talk to make sure she doesn't come back pregnant. Kurt will be eighteen in May if I remember correctly so it won't be long until he can make all decisions on his own and Blaine already is an adult, legally speaking."

Burt could hear some shuffling on the other end and then LeRoy picked up the phone.

"Listen Burt, you should be glad they are asking for permission instead of just sneaking off together. You've been a teenager once too. You know where there is a will there is a way."

Burt knew that too well. There'd been a reason why he liked his pick-up truck so much.

"I wouldn't even know what to tell them," Burt admitted. "My wife made me sit through that Broke Mountain movie and all I gathered was something went down in the tent."

Yep, they were definitely laughing at him now.

"The free clinic should have some pamphlets on that. They also give out condoms," LeRoy told him.

"I don't want to give them condoms! I don't want to encourage them!" Burt immediately exclaimed. "If they really want to do that they can buy their own. But thanks any way. I'll probably do that … I mean go to the clinic."

They both hung up after saying goodbye and Burt tried to psych himself up to go to the clinic. Maybe he could ask Carole if she could go.

Carole, of course, just smirked and told him she couldn't go because she had class. Don't get him wrong, he was glad she was doing something that made her happy, but she'd been using that excuse a lot lately whenever he had asked her to do something he didn't want to do himself.

Fortunately he was in and out of the clinic without being seen by anyone he knew and he quickly stuffed the dreaded pamphlets into his pocket without looking at them. He didn't need to know what they said as long as the boys read them.

* * *

 

Kurt and Blaine were in Kurt's room trying to come up with new arguments to convince Burt to let them go to Columbus. His father had said he needed time to think about it and talk it over with Carole, so there was still a tiny glimpse of hope. There was also the talk he needed to have with Blaine about his mother, but he decided it could wait till after Valentine's Day. He didn't want to ruin the mood.

He was still pondering when and how to do that when Burt called for them. So he walked down the stairs with an apprehensive look on his face, because he couldn't imagine anything good to come out of a talk with Burt. He should have trusted his guts.

Unfortunately, what his father had called them down to talk about had been far worse than Kurt had originally assumed.

"So, I talked it over with Carole and we decided that you could go."

No, that hadn't been the bad part. Kurt had been ecstatic to hear this.

"You knew Carole and I are going to Austin for Valentine's Day and still asked for permission instead of going anyway and we thought you should be rewarded for that."

Kurt would have been content to just sneak off and let Finn cover for them – after all, Finn owed him one - but Blaine had insisted they'd ask for permission because he didn't want to anger Kurt's father. For once, Blaine's goody-two-shoes nature seemed to have paid off.

"But before I let you go, we have to talk about something," Burt had announced.

Anything, Kurt had thought, as long as I get my weekend with Blaine. It was probably his own fault that his father pulled out pamphlets next.

"I, uh, understand that you have been together for a while and Valentine's Day is a special occasion, I guess a little like prom, but you should know that that isn't a good enough reason to do things, do you understand?" Burt had mumbled.

Kurt and Blaine had both shook their heads. No, they didn't really get what Burt was talking about. They should have just said yes and left it at that.

"Just because you have the opportunity doesn't mean you have to be intimate. That's a big step and you shouldn't do it because I allow you to spend the night together," Burt had soldiered on.

Blaine had paled next to him, while he himself had probably turned tomato red. His dad wasn't, right? But oh he was.

"Now, I don't know much about these things, but I talked to the Berrys and they told me where I could get some information."

Dear God no, not again. Last time Rachel had teased them for weeks. This was even worse.

"I picked up some pamphlets for you at the free clinic that I'd like you to read. I haven't read them myself, but the lady at the clinic assured me they are quite informative."

Kurt had a hard time imagining his father talking to anyone about gay sex.

"Just, if you do decide to do something, make sure you use protection. I know neither of you can get pregnant, but there are other things like STDs you could get," Burt had continued.

Kurt had thought it was time to intervene.

"That's really not necessary, we learned that in school."

"Oh, okay, good. I just wanted to know you knew these things."

Burt had looked relieved when Kurt had told him that.

"So yeah, don't do anything just because you can."

Both Kurt and Blaine had frantically nodded their heads.

"Alright, now that we covered that can we please adopt a don't ask don't tell policy when it comes to that. You are my child, so I really don't want to know about it."

Kurt and Blaine had quickly agreed and as soon as Burt had told them they were free to go, they had escaped upstairs to Kurt's bedroom with their new pamphlets.

* * *

 

Blaine was sitting on Kurt's bed rifling through the pamphlets.

"Can you believe your dad tried to give us a sex talk," he chuckled.

Kurt didn't look as red anymore as he had before, but he still blushed.

"Nope, I'm still trying to convince myself that was a bad dream," Kurt said as he sat down next to Blaine and picked up a pamphlet himself.

Blaine loved that he could still make Kurt blush after all the stuff they had done together since December.

"Maybe there has been an alien invasion and they have switched Burt and Finn's brains with someone else's." Blaine suggested. "I mean Finn didn't even say anything when he caught us with our shirts off and my pants unbuttoned." There was the blush again.

"Who knows? All I care about is spending a weekend with you at a nice hotel without any nosy siblings or parents," Kurt said before cupping Blaine's jaw and pulling him in for a kiss.

They kissed for a bit, all the while listening through the half open door for anyone coming upstairs. When they broke the kiss Kurt chuckled.

"I can't believe my father thinks we're still virgins. We've been together for over a year, I thought they must have at least assumed."

"Yeah, well. In this case I'm actually a fan of don't ask don't tell," Blaine told Kurt before they went back to kissing.

Whatever was going to happen this Valentine's Day it would be so much better than last year's that was certain. He could deal with a little awkwardness.

* * *

 

Carole pushed away her empty plate and smiled at Burt. The food he prepared had surprisingly tasted better than expected. Luckily, Lou and his wife had agreed to let them have the house for the weekend so they didn't have to stay in a hotel and could relax without having to take care of their kids for the first time in forever.

She had of course missed Austin at first, but now she couldn't really imagine her life anywhere but Lima anymore.

"Remember what we talked about before we moved to Ohio," she asked her husband later when they were sitting on the couch watching a romantic movie. Burt nodded.

"I know it's still going to be a while until Finn and Kurt graduate high school, but what would you think about staying in Ohio for good. We don't have to decide right now, but I think it has been doing wonders for you and Finn."

Carole chanced a glance at her husband.

"You know I would never have left if it hadn't been for the divorce. My parents moved to Lima when I was in 6th grade because my dad got a job there and I met Lizzy at McKinley. She didn't like me that much at first, but she got accepted into OSU and I went to junior college in the same area. We somehow made it work when we met again and we moved in together in Columbus. I thought that was it, but then we had Kurt and had to move back to Lima because houses in Columbus were too expensive and I couldn't find a job there."

Carole nodded. Burt barely spoke about the time before she met him and she was grateful he was opening up to her.

"But you are right. The kids aren't even done with their junior year, we still have time to think about it."

Burt was playing absentmindedly with the blanket that covered both their laps.

"Do you think I made the right decision letting the boys go to Columbus," he suddenly asked her.

"They are growing up whether we like it or not. The best be can do is make sure they are prepared for whatever they come across and hope for the best. We were both barely older when we had them and we managed some how. They are good kids, even Finn when he tries, so I'm not worried."

She leaned over and kissed Burt on the cheek. He turned to face her and smiled.

"I'm so glad I found you. I have no idea how I would have survived the past couple of months if it hadn't been for you," he told her with an earnest expression on his face.

"You would have managed if you had to. You are not a bad person Burt. You may have been misguided, but when it mattered you stepped up to the plate. I know how hard it was for you to admit you were wrong but you still did it and that proves that you aren't all bad. I wouldn't be still with you if you were."

Carole knew it and Burt knew it. There had been moments when the only reason she stayed with Burt was because Kurt needed someone on his side. But they were past that now.

She snuggled up closer to her husband of four years. Things still weren't ideal but they had all come a long way since last June.


	21. Betrayal

Lima, OH, February 17, 2011

Four weeks after Kurt had talked to Mrs. Anderson at the PFLAG meeting in Toledo, Blaine's mom showed up at his doorstep when everyone else was out … with a black eye. Kurt was shocked and immediately asked her to come in.

"I'm sorry to just show up, but I didn't know where else to go. I told my husband that I wanted to see Blaine and he didn't take it too well," she explained once Kurt had sat her down on his couch.

"I'm so sorry, but I'm really glad you came here. It's just … I haven't had the chance yet to talk to Blaine about all this so I'm not sure how he would react to seeing you here."

Mrs. Anderson immediately squared her shoulders and gave him a fake smile.

"That's alright dear. I'll find something."

"No," Kurt immediately exclaimed. "I just think it would be better if we drive over to my other house now, so you can get settled and I get a chance to talk to Blaine."

"Oh, okay." Mrs. Anderson's shoulders sagged in relief.

Kurt quickly ran upstairs and got the second set of keys because Blaine still had the other one. Once he and Blaine's mom had both put on their coats, they went outside and Kurt told Blaine's mom to follow his car.

Once they reached his house, he helped her unload they two suitcases she had managed to pack while her husband was at work and ushered her into the house.

"The phone's shut off, but everything else should we working. I regularly check on the house to make sure everything is okay, because Blaine and I have plans to move back here once I'm eighteen."

Blaine's mom kept nodding as he gave her a tour of the house and explained what he thought was important.

"My room is in the basement, but there are two more upstairs. The one on the left was Blaine's bedroom and the other one was my mom's. I guess you can use either."

Mrs. Anderson shot him a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much, Kurt. And please call me Tala. You're basically family already." Kurt was positively surprised to hear her say that.

"What do you say to some take out? I can tell you more about Blaine if you like," he offered Tala who immediately accepted.

They talked for another hour until it was time for Kurt to go home if he wanted to be back before the rest of his family came home, and Kurt promised to talk to Blaine the next day after his math test.

He knew the conversation wouldn't be pleasant but he hoped Blaine would give his mom a chance.

* * *

 

When Blaine came back home after work the next day he was exhausted. Math was the only subject he was really struggling with and Ms. Miller had been back. By now he suspected the young woman might have a crush on him. Or she was just a horrible driver. Who knew? All he wanted was a nice relaxing evening, possibly fooling around with Kurt if no one else was home yet.

Kurt was already sitting on his bed when he came into his room looking nervous.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked his boyfriend.

"I kind of want to talk to you about something," Kurt told him.

He hoped it wasn't anything bad, but judging by the look on Kurt's face it might very well be.

"You are not still angry that Shelby asked me to sing a duet with Rachel for Regionals." Kurt shook his head.

"I wasn't angry about that. I know you sound great together and I get to do an awesome song with Santana, Mercedes and Brittany. But that's not what I want to talk about," Kurt said but still didn't tell Blaine what is was. He raised an eyebrow at Kurt.

"I want to talk about your mom."

Blaine immediately paled. Why the hell did Kurt want to talk about her?

"Don't you want to know how she is doing?" Kurt soldiered on, ignoring Blaine's discomfort.

"Why would I? It's not like she protected me from my father or something. Who knows if she would even want to see me?"

Don't get angry with Kurt. Stay calm, he told himself.

"I'm sure she would want to see you. She's your mom." Kurt still wouldn't stop.

"Yeah well she's not like your mom so would you please just drop it!"

He saw Kurt's eyes water and immediately felt guilty. Great now he had made Kurt cry.

"At least you still have one and I know she wants to see you," Kurt suddenly yelled at him.

He couldn't believe they were fighting about their respective parents again. Then it registered what Kurt had just said.

"How do you know she wants to see me?" he asked trying to keep his voice calm. Kurt suddenly looked incredibly guilt.

"Because I met her. Burt accidentally ran into your father in Cleveland and he recognized your mom from the PFLAG meetings when your dad showed him a picture. I wanted to talk to her before I told you."

Blaine couldn't believe Kurt had kept something so important from him.

"When, when did Burt tell you?" he demanded.

Kurt just looked miserable now and Blaine hoped that was what he felt like.

"After he tried to talk to you about your parents and you ran out on him. I told him I would take care of it."

Blaine quickly did the mental math in his mind.

"So you've known for a month and didn't tell me! I thought our relationship was based on total honesty, but apparently I was wrong." He needed to get out of here.

Kurt was crying now, begging him not to leave so they could talk about it, but Blaine just couldn't right now. He hadn't felt that betrayed in a long time. He grabbed his keys and phone and sidestepped Kurt who was trying to block his way.

He quickly ran down the stairs and nearly collided with Burt who was walking up at the same time, but ignored the man as he called after him. He was too mad at either of the two Hummel men to talk right now.

* * *

 

Burt was longing for a long hot bath after a long day at work, but he had promised Carole to take her out to dinner that night to celebrate getting an A on one her tests.

As he walked up the stairs he nearly collided with Blaine who was running down the stairs and ignored him as he called after him. He wondered what that was all about and went all the way up. He paused when he heard someone crying in Blaine's bedroom.

His son was sitting on Blaine's bed clutching a stuffed animal while tears were streaming down his face. He immediately stepped inside and approached his son.

"Kurt, what's wrong? Did Blaine hurt you?"

He didn't think so but you never knew. Kurt just shook his had, but stayed silent otherwise.

"Come on, buddy. You got to give me something if you want me to help you."

He thought he heard a sniffled _you can't_ but wasn't sure about it.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and awkwardly patted his son's leg. He really was in over his head when it came to situations like that. For a while he just sat there listening to Kurt's sobbing. After what felt like hours, Kurt finally released his death grip on the animal and looked up at Burt.

"I tried to talk to Blaine about his mom, because she came here yesterday and I told her she could stay at my house. We were arguing and I accidentally told him about Cleveland. He ran away before I could explain why I didn't tell him earlier."

Crap. He should have told Blaine the truth about that when they had had their talk in his office, only to avoid a situation like that.

"And now he's probably on his way over to the house and he'll find his mom there and then he's going to be even more angry with me."

Burt wanted to hug Kurt but wasn't sure if Kurt would allow it. Their relationship had improved lately, but he wasn't sure if they were there yet.

"Maybe that's a good thing," he offered, but immediately went on to explain when he saw the incredulous look on Kurt's face.

"Not your fight, but him seeing his mom. Maybe she can explain things to him."

"You think so?" Kurt sounded like a little child again when he asked that, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I hope so. I don't like seeing you this sad. It will all work out eventually. Just give him time to cool off." Kurt nodded.

"Thanks for talking about it with me, I guess. I know that's hard for you."

Burt hated that Kurt was right. It was still not easy for him, but he had never been good with feelings.

"I just want you to be safe and happy."

He squeezed Kurt's leg and made his way to his bedroom to get ready for his date with Carole. He really hoped everything would work out between the two of them, because as hard as it would have been for him to admit that months ago, Blaine did make his son happy.

* * *

 

Blaine was furiously wiping tears from his face, because he did not want to crash his car on the way to the other house. He needed time to sit down and think about all the stuff without anyone else around.

He just didn't understand why Kurt hadn't told him. They didn't keep secrets. Sure he hadn't told Kurt what he and Burt had talked about, but that was nothing compared to that.

Kurt had met his mother, had talked to her – probably about him – without his permission and he just didn't know if he could trust Kurt again, if he kept something so important to himself.

Once he reached the house he quickly unlocked the front door with the set of keys he had kept after their last fight. He didn't want to think about that now, but he and Kurt had often used the house if they needed to be alone and thought they could get away with it.

He was hanging up his coat when he heard a thump upstairs. He froze. Had someone broken in? He quickly grabbed the baseball bat Burt had held when they had found Kurt and tiptoed upstairs. The noises seemed to come from his bedroom. He gripped the bat as tightly as he could, pushed the half closed door open and promptly dropped the bad at the sight that greeted him.

"Mom," he gasped.

His mother was standing in the middle of his room, frozen with some clothes, she must have taken out of the suitcases next to her feet, in her hands.

"Hello Blaine," his mom whispered.

"What are you doing here?"

How did she get in? How did she even know about this place? His mom looked confused.

"Didn't Kurt talk to you? He said it would be alright if I stayed here for a while."

Kurt had done what? Apparently he hadn't just talked to his mom, he had invited her to stay at his house. What the hell was going on here?

"Why are you here?" he forced out.

"I left your father, because I really wanted to see you again." He couldn't stop himself from laughing dryly.

"Why now, mom? It's been over a year."

"I tried to call, but you changed your number."

Great more excuses.

"You knew where I went to school. You could have visited me at Dalton if you really wanted to see me."

Blaine was exhausted after his fight with Kurt and he couldn't deal with all this now.

"Blaine, I'm so sorry I didn't. I just…"

He didn't need to hear more excuses.

"I can't do this right now. Talk to Kurt if you have to. Apparently the two of you are best friends now," he yelled before he ran out of the house and went back to his car.

Now he had to find another place to stay, because he sure as hell wouldn't go back to Kurt right now and he had no desire to share the house with his mom.

* * *

 

After his talk with Burt, Kurt had tried to call Blaine, but his boyfriend had never picked up. He didn't have Tala's phone number and their landline had been disconnected, so he couldn't call her either to ask about Blaine.

It was close to eleven when he heard the front door open. Finn had come home from his date with Sarah an hour ago, and Burt and Carole were already back as well, so it could only be Blaine. He just hoped Blaine would give him the chance to explain.

He took a deep breath and knocked on Blaine's bedroom door before he opened it. Blaine, who was with his back to the door, was throwing clothes into a duffle bag. Kurt had been afraid that Blaine would stay at the other house until he was ready to talk.

"I don't want to talk to you Kurt," Blaine said without looking up. "I can't even look at you right now."

Kurt flinched. Blaine had never treated him like that before.

"By the way, thanks for letting me know my mom is living in your house," Blaine spat while still not looking at Kurt. "I can just hope that one of my friends will let me stay with them."

Kurt felt his stomach churn.

"You don't have to leave," he begged. "I'll give you space, but please don't leave."

He couldn't let Blaine go, what if he never came back?

"I can't, not right now. Please leave me alone."

Kurt felt as if he got punched in the stomach and quickly backed out of Blaine's room, his heart breaking a bit.

He had just wanted to protect Blaine, but in the end he had caused them even more pain. Just a week ago, they had spent an amazing weekend in Columbus, and now Blaine might as well have broken up with him. He threw himself onto his bed and buried his face into the pillow. Maybe it would all turn out to be a bad dream if he just wished it hard enough.

 

* * *

 

Carole had a hard time enjoying her date with Burt after he told her about Kurt and Blaine's fight. She hadn't necessarily agreed with Kurt and Burt when they had kept things from Blaine, but in the end she had trusted Kurt's judgment because he knew Blaine best.

She wanted to help them, but she didn't know how without appearing to be choosing sides.

They had gone home early and witnessed Blaine coming back to the house and leaving again soon after, but had decided to let Kurt be for the night.

Kurt hadn't left his room all Saturday though and had refused to talk to anyone in the family. Carole had left him food outside his door and at least the plates were mostly empty when she collected them again.

It was Sunday afternoon when Kurt finally came downstairs, his eyes red rimmed from all the crying she had heard coming from his room.

"Oh honey," Carole said and pulled a reluctant Kurt into her arms. "It's going to be okay. He'll just need some time." Kurt shook his head.

"He won't answer my calls or texts and I don't even know where he is. I spoke to his mom and she told me he didn't come back to the house. Can you please call him and make sure he's okay, or did he text you?" Carole shook her head.

"I would have told you if he had."

Carole was worried too, now that Kurt had told her he didn't know where Blaine was living right now. She took out her phone and prayed that Blaine would pick up if she called him.

The phone rang twice before it went to voicemail. Carole quickly left Blaine a message asking him to tell her he was okay. A few minutes later she got a text from him.

"Don't worry about me, I'm taken care of. Tell Kurt to stop calling. I'll talk to him when I'm ready," she read aloud before pulling Kurt into her arms again.

"Just give it time. Just give it time."


	22. Silence

School the past few days had been terrible. Kurt hadn't tried to call or text Blaine anymore, but he had tried to talk to him at school. Unfortunately, Blaine seemed to have developed a sixth sense about Kurt's intentions because he made sure they were never alone.

They shared most of their classes, but Blaine had shown up right after the bell had rung and practically sprinted out of the classroom once the lessons were over.

His boyfriend – was he still his boyfriend? – hadn't shown up to Glee either, even though Regionals was just a little over two weeks away. At least Rachel was confident they would still be able to pull off their duet, but Ms. Corcoran had announced she would give Blaine's part to someone else if he wasn't back by next week.

Kurt had asked Carole to relay the information to Blaine, but he had texted back that Glee was the last thing on his mind right now, and that deeply worried Kurt, because music was Blaine's life just as it was for him.

Fortunately, Santana had slipped up on Tuesday and Kurt had discovered that Blaine was staying with Santana for the time being.

In Glee, Kurt had been criticized a lot by Ms. Corcoran over the past couple of days, but he just couldn't focus properly. It was ironic. After all, he and the girls were doing a mash up of Adele's "Rumor has it" and "Someone like you" that expressed his feelings perfectly.

After Ms. Corcoran had told him to take a break and come back once he was able to concentrate, Rachel and Mercedes had cornered him, but he just couldn't tell them what had happened. He just felt so guilty, and didn't need to hear it from them as well what an idiot he was.

He left Glee rehearsal early that Wednesday and ordered a huge greasy pizza that he ate while crying his eyes out over some cheesy romantic comedy. Had Blaine been with him, they would probably have made fun of the storyline and acting, but instead Kurt was sitting by himself, eating junk food and ruining his figure, so that even if Blaine decided to talk to him again, he probably wouldn't want him back. He'd get a dozen of cats and die alone, he was sure of it.

Kurt knew throwing himself a pity party didn't change anything but he couldn't help it. After his mom had passed, he had been so afraid to lose Blaine as well, and now that it happened he didn't know what to do with himself anymore.

* * *

 

Finn had told Sarah on their second date about all the things he had done to Kurt and Santana and she had told him she could accepted it if he were truly sorry and apologized to Kurt for his past behavior.

He knew his brother was feeling like shit right now because of the fight he had with Blaine, and so he wasn't sure if now was the time to apologize to Kurt but he made his way to the choir room on Wednesday nevertheless.

When he rounded the corner he saw Brittany talk to some Hockey jock and raised his hand in greeting, when he noticed the distressed look on her face. He quickly walked over to her, just to catch the tail end of what the guy was saying.

"… you just need a real man to cure you. And I have just the dick for the job," the dude said as he tried to grind up on Brittany, would looked incredibly scared pressed against her locker.

Before Finn knew it he had grabbed the guys letterman jacket and had pulled him off the shaking girl.

"Fuck off! You're disgusting. There's nothing wrong with Brittany," he yelled at the guy who looked at him like Finn was crazy.

Finn meant it when he said that. Brittany was a sweet girl and no one should take advantage of her. He hated the old Finn who had wanted to convince Brittany to have a threesome with him and Santana.

Speaking of Santana, the scary girl and Kurt were running over, just as the jock took off. Finn immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"I didn't do anything to her, I swear."

"We know Finnocence," Santana shot back as she pulled her crying girlfriend into her arms and kissed her hair.

Finn had never seen Santana do something so sweet and it cemented it for him that they really loved each other just as Kurt and Blaine said they loved each other.

Kurt was watching the scene with a longing in his eyes before he quickly looked away and tried to discreetly wipe some tears away that he couldn't hide from Finn though.

"Finn," Santana interrupted his staring, "thank you. If you want to come back to Glee you can."

Finn was surprised to hear that. He had missed hanging out with the Gleeks and had even sung with Sarah, who hadn't the strongest voice either, in the car once, but he thought they sounded good together.

"Is it okay, if I bring Sarah along too?" he asked looking in Kurt's direction.

"I couldn't care less at the moment Finn, sorry. I have my own problems."

Kurt gave him a watery glare. Yes, it was definitely a good idea to postpone that apology.

Later that afternoon Finn and Sarah had spoken to Ms. Corcoran who had told them they had to sing backup till after Regionals, but Finn for once didn't care. He was allowed to get back to doing something he had secretly come to love.

* * *

 

Burt had had to listen to Kurt's crying for days now and he had enough. He liked Blaine a lot, but right now he was making his son miserable. That thought also made him feel incredibly guilty, because only a few months ago, he would have been happy if Kurt and Blaine broke up and he had even tried to speed it up by keeping them apart.

He had to do something to make up for past mistakes, but according to Carole there was nothing they could do but wait. Well, Burt Hummel wasn't a man who sat around on his ass and waited.

When he still hadn't heard anything from Blaine by Wednesday he decided it was time to call the boy. He suspected Blaine wouldn't pick up if he saw Burt's number on the caller ID, so he "borrowed" Carole's phone while she was in the shower.

Blaine sounded tired when he picked up.

"I told you Carole I'm okay and I'm definitely not sleeping on the streets. And before you ask, I agreed to talk to my mom tomorrow, so you can stop trying to convince me."

Carole must have called more often than he had known.

"It's Burt, please don't hang up."

For a moment the line went quiet and Burt thought Blaine had hung up but when he spoke there was a steely determination in his tone.

"What do you want?"

"First, I'd like to apologize. I shouldn't have kept meeting your parents from you." Blaine chuckled dryly.

"I guess you tried to tell me but I ran away."

"Doesn't matter, I should have made you listen instead of telling Kurt before I told you."

Blaine didn't say anything so Burt assumed he agreed.

"And secondly?" Blaine asked after a few moments of silence.

"And secondly, you have to talk to Kurt."

"Why is that?" Blaine sounded angry now.

"Because he's miserable and I don't like seeing him like that."

"Well. I'm glad you see it that way now and finally care about Kurt's feeling, but I'm not ready to talk to him. I'm sorry he's miserable but he caused this himself. I have to go. Please don't call again, because the same goes for you. We'll talk when I'm ready."

Burt hung up the phone and sighed. This hadn't gone like he had wanted, but at least he now was certain that Blaine still cared about his son. He really hoped they would find a way to talk it out before they completely destroyed what they had.

* * *

 

Blaine nervously fiddled with the collar of his shirt as he waited for his mom in the Lima Bean, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. They had agreed to meet on neutral ground because Blaine hadn't felt comfortable meeting her back at the house.

He gave her a quick once-over when she came into the shop. She looked different than she had a year ago. Less put together and more accessible. There were bags under her eyes that she apparently hadn't bothered to cover up but her eyes lit up when she saw him sitting at one of the tables in the back. She quickly picked up her own cup of coffee before she made her way over to Blaine.

"Blaine, I'm glad you agreed to meet me," his mom said as she sat down opposite him.

"Yeah well, you wouldn't stop calling and Carole wouldn't let it go either, so here I am," Blaine explained as he played with his napkin.

"Oh, who's Carole?"

So they were doing small talk first. Fine, he could handle that.

"Kurt's stepmother. She's really great." The unlike you was implied and he saw his mom flinch.

"Kurt's a really nice boy," she said awkwardly not realizing that this was another sore subject.

"Is he? You didn't seem to think so when you met him last year," he tried to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice but he knew he wasn't succeeding.

"I was shocked. I hadn't expected to see you kissing another boy and you know your father. If I had said something against him, he might have sent me packing with you."

"So you let him walk all over me and insult me and my boyfriend."

His voice was getting louder and he took a few calming breaths. He didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of the coffee shop. After all, that's why he had chosen it as a meeting place.

"You really never suspected?"

His mom shook her head.

"You know I grew up in a small village outside of Manila. If there were homosexuals in our village it wasn't talked about. When your dad brought me back to Michigan when I was eighteen, he expected me to stay home and I didn't protest it because I was in love with him and life with him was better that it had been before. Once my English was good enough, he allowed me to get my GED, but my life here was pretty sheltered and I didn't really have friends until you started preschool."

Blaine hadn't known these things about his mother. Sure he knew she was originally from the Philippines but he had never been there and they never really talked about her life before she had him.

"Your father hated it that we didn't mange to have more children after you, and his relationship with your half-brother was never really good either," his mom continued.

Blaine knew that his father and Cooper hadn't spoken in years and he himself had only met his fourteen years older brother a handful of times. When his dad had kicked him out, it hadn't even occurred to him to call Cooper.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Blaine asked once his mom had stopped talking.

"I need you to understand why I couldn't just leave your father when he told you to leave. It took me time to come to terms with the fact that my son was gay and when I did I knew your father wouldn't let me see you. I had no money, no education and no place to go. I knew you were being taken care of, at least financially, but I couldn't ask you to take care of me as well."

Blaine had always thought the reason his mom was distant and always on his father's side was because she didn't love him enough and cared more about the material things his father provided. A lot of his classmates had stay at home moms too but he had never thought that this meant that his mom had to rely on his father. He thought about the black eye his mom had been sporting when he had discovered her in Kurt's house. He couldn't see it anymore, so it must either have healed already or his mom had covered it up.

"Did he hit you?" His mom shook her had.

"I never gave him a reason to before. This was the first time I dared to stand up to him and he didn't like it."

Blaine felt bad for his mom, but he wasn't ready to forgive her just yet and he told her as much. Santana's parents had said he could stay as long as he needed to and that was what he planned to do.

His mom nodded and gave him a small smile that didn't look fake for once.

"Well let's change the subject then. How's Kurt? We haven't had the chance to talk since last Saturday."

Blaine looked down and studied the torn napkin in his hand.

"You haven't talked to him yet, haven't you?"

Blaine shook his head. Why couldn't she just drop it? If he wasn't ready to forgive her for abandoning him and he sure as hell wasn't ready to talk to her about boys.

"Blaine, I know you are angry, but Kurt only tried to help me reconnect with you. Without him I would have never gone against your father and left him."

Blaine understood, intellectually, that Kurt had helped his mom and had thought what he was doing would be good for Blaine, but in his heart he knew he wasn't ready to forgive his boyfriend for betraying him just yet either.

Apparently Blaine's silence finally clued his mom in to the fact that he didn't want to talk about Kurt either and they filled the rest of their talk with small talk about school and Glee. They said goodbye after an hour because Blaine still had to work in the shop, luckily without either of the Hudmels present. He left the Lima Bean with mix feelings, but they were definitely more positive than they had been an hour ago.

* * *

 

Carole was sitting at the kitchen table working on homework, feeling incredibly young while doing so, when the phone rang. She closed her book when it became clear that no one else was picking up and went into the living room to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Hummel? This is Tala Anderson, Blaine's mother," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Mrs. Anderson, how nice to hear from you, but I'm afraid Blaine isn't here," Carole told the woman on the phone.

"Please call me Tala and I know. I had coffee with him this afternoon. I just called to let you know that Blaine is staying at his friend Santana's house in case he didn't tell you."

Carole was glad that Blaine had been telling the truth about meeting his mother when he had talked to Burt.

"Call me Carole and yes, my stepson Kurt told me that Blaine is staying with the Lopez."

Carole didn't know what she should talk to Blaine's mom about without making Blaine angry with her too.

"Well maybe we could meet for coffee once the boys have made up. I'd really like to thank you in person for all you have done for Blaine," Tala offered.

Carole considered it for a few seconds. It would be nice to meet Blaine's mother and help him get part of his own family back.

"I'd love that and really, I just did what any decent person would have done, especially because Blaine was hit hard by Kurt's mother's death as well."

She couldn't take all the credit here. After all, it had been Burt's ex-wife who had taken Blaine in in the first place and she had always felt bad that she had allowed Burt to leave Blaine behind on his own during those four months Kurt spent in Texas.

"I'm going to talk to Blaine and if he is okay with us meeting, I'll give you a call. I have your number now and if you need anything please don't hesitate to call," Carole said sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm starting my very first job next week. It's just stocking the shelves in a supermarket right now, but it's a start," Tala did sound exited, but Carole couldn't image what it must be like to have a first job at Tala's age who was probably not that much older than her.

"That's great to hear. And if you ever get bored, you can join me at community college next fall," Carole joked.

"Who knows. Right now I'm just trying to get back on my feet so I can take care of my son if he'll let me. Thanks for talking to me Carole."

They said their goodbyes and Carole got back to her homework. She really hoped everything would turn out all right, because Kurt and Blaine both deserved to have a supportive family they could rely on.


	23. Daddy Issues

Blaine knew he had to talk to Kurt eventually, either to break up with him or to find a way to trust Kurt again. If it had been anyone but Kurt he would have forgiven them by now, but Kurt had promised to always be honest with him. How was he supposed to trust Kurt again, when he couldn't be sure that Kurt wouldn't do something like that the next time he thought Blaine couldn't handle the truth?

Apparently Santana had enough of his moping, because he was rudely awakened by a pillow to the face Friday morning.

"I don't care what you do, but I'm done watching you look like a kicked puppy. We're going to Scandals tonight and we're going to have fun."

Santana wanted to go to a gay bar with him? He wasn't sure that was such a good idea, because alcohol made him act a little crazy sometimes. But maybe getting wasted was exactly what he needed right now.

"Can I think about it?”

"Fine, but I'm getting us some fake IDs today and the only excuse I accept is you getting back with Porcelain today, otherwise you're going."

Blaine made it through school like he had the rest of his week, keeping his head down, eating lunch under the bleachers and staying as far away from the choir room as possible. He knew he had to go back to Glee on Monday because otherwise Ms. Corcoran would give his part to someone else and Rachel would probably skin him alive.

He still hadn't made up his mind about Scandals when he got a text from Kurt. At first he wanted to delete it without reading it, but in the end his curiosity won out. He read through Kurt's text a couple of times, before he called up Santana.

"I'm in."

"What changed your mind?" Santana asked and it almost sounded as if she cared.

"Kurt wants us to break up."

 

* * *

 

Kurt's fight with Blaine was officially ruining his life. He couldn't concentrate in class, staring at the back of Blaine's head most of the lessons and he kept screwing up in Glee, but fortunately Ms. Corcoran had given him till Monday to sort himself out, otherwise she would takes his lines away as well.

He needed to get Blaine back to Glee, because right now their fight kept them both from doing what they loved.

Rachel came up to Kurt after rehearsal was over and offered to talk to Blaine, before giving him what she considered advice.

"I know it's hard having to share a stage with an ex, but when Jesse and I broke up briefly before Regionals last year I channeled my emotions into my performance. You have the perfect song, use your pain."

Kurt hadn't really been paying attention to Rachel, but caught up when she called Blaine his ex.

"Blaine's not my ex," he quickly said, but Kurt could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed you broke up because he keeps avoiding you and hasn't come to Glee in a week."

Kurt could feel tears welling up in his eyes. Was that what Blaine had been trying to tell him, by refusing to be in a room with him if he didn't have to.

"You think he broke up with me?" he forced out while trying to keep his tears in. Rachel shrugged.

"If you don't know, how should I know? But you should find out, so you can get over it."

Had he really ruined his relationship because of one mistake? Kurt knew it was a big one, but he couldn't believe Blaine wouldn't break up with him face to face if that was what he wanted.

Once he got home, he took out his phone and started composing texts he wanted to send to Blaine. In the end he settled on something simple and to the point.

"If we are breaking up, can we at least do it face to face?"

 

* * *

 

 

Santana's fake ID had gotten him past the bored looking doorman outside Scandals without a problem. He was on his second beer when Santana texted him that Brittany came over unexpectedly and she couldn't make it. He considered leaving for a moment but then decided to stay a little longer, if only to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Blaine was about to order yet another drink, when a glass filled with clear liquid was being pushed in front of him.

"Vodka Tonic, you look like you need it."

"Thanks," Blaine said as he looked over to the guy who had paid for his drink.

He was taller than him, had brown hair and looked at Blaine with a predatory smile that made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Have we met? You look really familiar," the guy said looking Blaine up and down.

Blaine rolled his eyes. That was the best this guy could come up with? The guy seemed to be his age, so Blaine was pretty certain he would remember it if he had met another gay teen in Lima.

"I don't think so," he answered politely.

He felt flattered by the attention but something about the guy felt off. Blaine quickly gulped down his drink and the guy ordered him another one. Blaine knew he should say no, but he was already feeling pleasantly buzzed and so he shoved his worries about the guy to the back of this mind.

"Sebastian Smythe. Where do you go to school?" At Blaine's panicked look he added. "Don't worry I'm in school to. I attend Dalton Academy in Westerville."

Blaine was surprised. He didn't know all the students at Dalton, but he was certain he had never seen that Sebastian guy there before.

"Are you a freshman? I went to Dalton for two years before I transferred last summer," Blaine blurted out, and immediately knew it was a stupid thing to say when Sebastian smirked.

"Do I look like a freshman?" Sebastian asked as he leaned in closer.

Blaine could feel Sebastian's hand brush his thigh but he wrote it off as an accident.

"Now I know why you look familiar. The Warblers just won't shut up about you. I guess they were right, you are sex on a stick."

Blaine couldn't believe anyone in the Warblers had described him like that. They had all been – as they called it – team Klaine from the start. The hand was back on his knee and this time Blaine had to admit to himself it wasn't an accident.

Blaine gave Sebastian a polite smile and quickly finished his drink, which tasted even stronger than the last one. The hand on his knee moved up his thigh.

"I have a boyfriend," Blaine forced out even though he wasn't sure if it was still true.

But even if he and Kurt were no longer together, had no interest in becoming Sebastian's next one-night-stand.

"Doesn't matter to me." When had Sebastian come this close?

"I'm sorry, I really can't do this with you. I'm not a cheater."

Sebastian's hand moved even further up and Blaine wanted to push it away, but he was afraid to fall off the bar stool if he let go off the bar.

"If you cared so much about your boyfriend you wouldn't be here on your own and if he cared about you he wouldn't have let you come here alone."

Sebastian's mouth was pretty much pressed against his ear, but the guy's comment struck a nerve. He wouldn't be here if he hadn't refused to talk to Kurt all week. He needed to get away from Sebastian and call Kurt. He managed to push himself off the stool without falling over, but accidentally pushed against Sebastian's hand on his thigh.

"Bathroom," he tried to excuse himself, but Sebastian just smirked.

"So I see you changed your mind about me then."

Shit, that was not what he had meant. He felt Sebastian's arm wrap around his waist and tried to free himself but Sebastian wouldn't let go.

He turned his face around to the entrance and managed to yell out a greeting to an imaginary friend. Luckily, Sebastian fell for it and momentarily loosened his hold on Blaine, which Blaine used to flee toward the restrooms. He was afraid Sebastian would follow him in there, so he quickly locked himself into the girls' bathroom and tried to get his phone out of his pocket without dropping it because of his shaking hands.

He was drunk and scared and he needed Kurt. But for all he knew Kurt wouldn't even want to talk to him after how he had treated him all week.

* * *

 

Kurt was sitting in front of his vanity, staring at the creams in front of him. He had forgone his moisturizing routine the past couple of days, but it was time to do damage control especially after the extensive crying he had done.

His phone rang on his bedside table and for a moment he considered letting it go to voicemail, but he hadn't heard from Blaine after he had sent that text message and still wanted to know where they stood.

As he had suspected Blaine's face showed up on the display and Kurt quickly unlocked his phone.

"Blaine?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh Kurt, thank god you picked up. I love you and I'm so sorry." Blaine's speech was slurred and Kurt wondered where he was and why he had drunk dialed Kurt.

"Are you drunk?" he asked incredulously because drunk Blaine could be fun, but he could also do stupid things. They've been to enough Warbler's parties together for Kurt to know that.

"Yes, and I'm sorry but you have to come get me," Blaine pleaded.

"You want me to do what? Why don't you call Santana?"

Who knew if Blaine still wanted to see him when he was sober again the next morning?

"Please Kurt. Santana stood me up and there's this guy who won't leave me alone and I'm hiding in the girls' bathroom," Blaine sounded like he was crying and Kurt suddenly realized how bad the situation was Blaine was in.

"Where are you? Stay where you are until I come and get you," he ordered.

"Scandals, that's a gay bar on W High Street. Please come quickly."

"I will. I promise," Kurt assured Blaine before he hung up.

He might be mad that Blaine had been ignoring him this past week, but he couldn't leave Blaine alone in that bar where god knows what could happen.

Kurt quickly got dressed again, grabbed his car keys and quietly made his way downstairs, thanking his lucky star that he could hear his father's snoring coming from his and Carole's bedroom.

He had no idea how he was supposed to get into that bar without a fake ID and without getting Blaine in trouble for being there in the first place, but he couldn't think about that now. He needed to get to Scandals without crashing his car, because otherwise Blaine was doomed.

* * *

 

Blaine was sitting on the bathroom floor, his phone clutched to his chest, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Blaine, you've been in here for a while now. You're not hiding from me are you?" Blaine heard Sebastian's slimy voice come through the door. He clutched his phone even tighter and willed Kurt to make it to the bar faster.

He couldn't give it away to Sebastian though that he was scared because then he might never leave.

"I'm not feeling so well right now. I'll see you on the dance floor," he managed to get out.

"Can't wait killer. I want to see you shake that ass."

God, could that guy get any worse. But he needed Sebastian to be gone when Kurt arrived.

"Sure. See you in a bit."

What had he gotten himself into? He should have trusted his instincts, and his instincts had clearly warned him that going to a seedy bar would be a bad idea.

* * *

 

Kurt arrived at Scandals twenty minutes after Blaine's call, praying that he wouldn't get caught speeding, but Blaine had sounded so desperate on the phone that he didn't want to leave him alone any longer than absolutely necessary.

Once he was in the parking lot he tried to think about ways to get into the bar. Even after his growth spurt last summer he didn't look even close to twenty-one and even if the bar let you in at eighteen, his birthday wasn't for another three month. Trying to convince the doorman that he was old enough and forgot his ID was out.

He could tell someone that Blaine needed help but what if that got Blaine into trouble for using a fake ID?

Kurt watched the entrance closely for a few minutes, trying to figure out if there was a way to sneak in. He had to come up with something fast, because Blaine was still locked into a bathroom waiting for him.

The doorman seemed bored with his job, and barely looked up as a group of people reentered after having had a smoke. Maybe he could convince some of the people outside to take him with them when they went back in.

Kurt got out of the car and approached a group of twenty-somethings standing at the corner. He squared his shoulders and tried to look as mature as possible.

"Excuse me. Is there any way you can help me get inside?" he asked the man standing closest to him. The stranger looked him over and laughed. Great. 

"What are you, like fourteen?"

Kurt huffed. He knew he looked young but fourteen was just insulting.

"I'll be eighteen in May, but I really need to get in right now." Kurt apparently was not above begging anymore.

"What, got a hot date waiting for you inside?" another man asked. Kurt didn't really like the way he looked at him, but he needed their help.

"My boyfriend called, because some guy inside won't let him leave, so could you please help me?" Don't cry, don't cry.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place," the first man said and stabbed out his cigarette. "Just stay in the middle of the group so we can get you in. If you need help inside just holler."

Kurt gave him a grateful smile and hid inside the group of smokers as they went back into the bar.

* * *

 

After what felt like forever, Blaine finally heard another knock on the door and Kurt's voice drifted through it. He quickly unlocked the door and pulled Kurt inside before locking it again.

"I'm so sorry Kurt. It's all my fault. I didn't talk to you and then you told me that we should break up, and I thought getting drunk would be a good idea, but you still came."

Blaine couldn't stop his crazy rambling as he threw himself into Kurt's arms.

Kurt was holding on tight as well and Blaine had never been gladder. But then Kurt took a step back and looked at Blaine like he was crazy.

"You thought _I_ wanted to break up with you?" Blaine nodded. That's what Kurt's text had said, hadn't it?

Kurt gaped at him with his mouth hanging open and then he hit Blaine's shoulder.

"I didn't want to break up with you. Rachel said your behavior indicated that you broke up with me and in case that was true I wanted you to at least do it face to face."

Blaine felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kurt hadn't planned to end their relationship after all. He felt guilty though for making Kurt believe they had broken up because of his behavior this past week. Yes, he was angry and disappointed, but he wouldn't give up what they had without trying to work out their problems somehow. Only he hadn't done that. He had run away from his problems yet again. He was such a coward.

His mental beat down was stopped by Kurt's hand on his jaw.

"I love you and I'm not giving up on us. But right now we need to get out of here, before we get caught or my father finds out I snuck out of the house. I promise we can talk tomorrow if you want to."

Blaine leaned into the touch of Kurt's hand before closing the distance between them and pressed his lips against Kurt's. It had only been a week since he had last kissed Kurt, but it felt much longer.

Kurt froze against his lips and for a moment Blaine was worried he had overstepped but after a few torturous seconds Kurt finally kissed him back. Somehow the touch of Kurt's lips against his own assured Blaine that they would be okay somehow.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Blaine whispered against his boyfriend's (still boyfriend!) lips and unlocked the door.

* * *

 

The dance floor was packed when they finally left the bathroom and Kurt made sure to hold Blaine's hand tightly, because the last thing he needed now was getting separated. He really had to stop thinking about worst-case scenarios because with his luck they always happened.

He was pushing through an opening between a dancing couple when he ran into someone. The sorry got stuck in his throat when he looked up to apologize. Dave Karofsky was staring back at him with a smile on his face Kurt had hoped he would never have to see again.

* * *

 

"Hello Kurt, long time no see."

Before Kurt knew what was happening Karosky had grabbed the hand that wasn't holding Blaine's and was trying to pull him off the dance floor. Behind him Blaine was struggling as the sudden pull had knocked him off balance, but then suddenly Blaine's grip loosened and before Kurt could do anything to stop him Blaine lunged at Karofsky.

He had told Blaine about his former bully, but he doubted that Blaine knew who he was dealing with right now. The former jock had filled out even more and was towering over Blaine who was unsuccessfully trying to get him away from Kurt.

Kurt was trying to free his hand from Karofsky's grip when he saw a guy staring at Blaine from the corner of his eyes. For a split second, Kurt thought the guy was going to help him but then he saw how he licked his lips as he was staring at Blaine.

Blaine's cry of pain next to him brought him back to the present as Karofsky had finally managed to shove Blaine away. Before Kurt could do anything to help Blaine, the creep that had been staring at Blaine, threw his arm around Blaine's shoulder and pulled a still stumbling Blaine away with him. Before he dragged a barley standing Blaine away he turned and yelled in Karofsky's direction.

"He's all yours now. Enjoy!"

Kurt was fighting harder against Karofsky's hold now, praying that Blaine would push the creep away, but his boyfriend was still stumbling after being pushed by Karofsky.

Karofsky had tightened his hold on Kurt as well, but a quick look around confirmed that no one was paying them any attention. Suddenly Karofsky's hand was on his ass, squeezing it and the former jock leaned in even closer and whispered in his ear.

"I can't tell you how long I wanted to do that. I was really disappointed when you didn't come back to school last year, but I knew you'd come back to me eventually."

Kurt felt his stomach lurch and he knew that if he didn't do something to get away from Karofsky he'd probably throw up on both their shoes. So he finally did what he should have done when Karofsky had pressed him against a locker and had stolen his first kiss with a boy. He kicked Karofsky hard between his spread legs, proving that he could be on the football team if he were interested in it.

The sweaty ex jock groaned and let go off Kurt who used the opportunity to get away as fast as possible. He pushed through the throng of dancers in the direction he had seen Blaine being dragged off and found his boyfriend crowded against a wall trying to keep the creep away.

He had enough of people who didn't get that no meant no, and used all the adrenalin currently pumping through his body to push the creep away from Blaine.

* * *

 

Blaine had just helplessly witnessed a big older guy drag his boyfriend away from him when Sebastian had grabbed him and had pushed him in the other direction. He had valiantly tried to get away, but all the vodka Sebastian had bought him was starting to really affect him.

Sebastian pushed him up against a wall in the back, whispering dirty things into his ear, but Blaine at least succeeded in keeping his body away from Sebastian's. Just as the other boy was leaning in again, he was suddenly pushed aside and Blaine stumbled into Kurt's arms. His boyfriend took his hand and pulled him away from Sebastian who was glaring at him from the floor.

Before he really realized what was happening, they were back in the girls' bathroom and Kurt pulled him down to the floor with him. They were both shaking and the sudden pounding on the door didn't help.

"You can't hide in there forever," the guy that had assaulted Kurt yelled. "You can't just taunt me for a year and then deny me. It's just not fair."

The guy sounded like a crazed lunatic and Blaine could feel Kurt tremble even harder in his arms.

"I don't know what that guy's problem is, but Blaine, we had a nice night tonight and if you come out I'm sure I can make you feel even better."

Shit Sebastian was still there as well. They couldn't very well stay in the bathroom until the bar closed. It wasn't even midnight yet.

He pulled his trembling boyfriend to his feet and led him into the corner furthest away from the door.

"You have to call your dad, Kurt. I don't know who else could intimidate those guys."

Kurt was frantically shaking his head.

"My dad would never come into a bar like this."

Kurt's father had punched his own after he had insulted Kurt. Blaine was sure Burt would come and save his son. He told Kurt as much, before he added.

"This week, when I kept avoiding you, your dad called me and told me I had to talk to you, because he didn't want to see you feeling so miserable. Please call him, I don't know what else to do."

The pleading tone in Blaine's voice must have swayed Kurt because he pulled out his phone after taking a couple of deep breaths.

* * *

 

Burt was rudely awakened by his phone ringing on his bedside table. He should really learn to turn that dreaded thing off during the night.

The caller ID identified the caller as Kurt, which was strange because his son should be in his bedroom right now. At first Burt thought he must still be dreaming because Kurt was asking him to pick him up from a bar.

"What the hell Kurt? Are you drunk?"

He tried to keep quiet because he didn't want to wake Carole but it was hard. He knew Kurt was upset because of Blaine but sneaking into a bar was unacceptable behavior.

"No, but Blaine is and some guy wouldn't leave him alone so he asked me to pick him up, but when we tried to leave this guy, Karofsky, who did some stuff to me my first time at McKinley grabbed me and now we're hiding in the girls' bathroom because they are waiting for us outside."

Burt felt his blood boil. His son was being harassed by some drunk homophobe in a bar.

"Where are you?"

"Scandals, that's the gay bar on W High St," Kurt sobbed into the phone.

Burt paled, because he suddenly understood what Kurt had meant when he said that some men wouldn't leave them alone.

"Stay where you are Kurt. I'm coming."

He hung up the phone and rushed downstairs not bothering with getting dressed. No one was allowed to touch his son without permission and he would make sure those creeps would learn their lesson.

* * *

 

Burt had never thought he would ever set foot into a gay bar, but here he was, standing in the parking lot in front of one, trying to hide his pajamas under his coat.

His was angry that the boys had snuck into a bar, but Kurt had sounded so scared on the phone that he had to come and get him. He hadn't protected his son from the bullies in his life before and it was time to take action.

He approached a bored looking doorman who didn't even look up when he passed him. No wonder, Kurt had managed to get inside without a fake ID.

Inside, it was surprisingly packed. To the left, Burt spotted two pool tables and a couple of small tables where a few people were eating and playing, but most people seemed to congregate on the dance floor in the middle of the bar.

The whole bar was not what Burt had expected. It wasn't flashy, but more like the bars Burt had frequented in his youth and most of the people inside seemed to be around Burt's age. He had no idea there were that many gay people in the Lima area.

He approached the barkeeper, who pointed him into the direction of the restrooms, and Burt balled his hands into fists. Showtime.

 

* * *

 

Kurt and Blaine where huddled together in the back of the room, while Karofsky was still taunting him through the door. Kurt was scared, because he knew Karofsky could easily overpower him and Blaine wasn't much help either, but he knew his dad was on his way. He also had his hands full with Blaine, who had suddenly started to puke his guts out.

Once Blaine was done, Kurt had pulled him back into his arms, and Blaine started another round of apologies and declarations of love. He did his best to assure Blaine that he loved him too, and that everything would be fine in the end. It was as much for his benefit as for Blaine's.

At least the other creep hadn't said anything anymore, but Kurt didn't know if he was still out there or not and Kurt had no plans to find out. If they had to stay locked in a bathroom until his dad came to save them, so be it.

* * *

 

When Burt approached the girls' bathroom he saw two guys hanging around in front of it. One was slightly taller than Kurt and didn't look much older either, while the other one was big and looked like he would have played football in high school. That had to be Karofsky then.

He walked up to the boys and blocked their way before he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Everything okay here, guys?" The one he thought was Karofsky sneered.

"Mind your own business old man."

Burt narrowed his eyes and glared at Karofsky.

"You're Paul's son, aren't you? He and I went to McKinley together. It's been a while since we talked, but maybe he and I should get together and talk about how his son sexually assaulted mine."

It was an empty threat after he had told Finn numerous times not to out people, but Karofsky didn't need to know that. The boy in question paled.

"You, ah, must have confused me with someone else," he told Burt, but the stutter gave away that he was lying.

"Sure. Now here's what's gonna happen. I would call the police on you, but my boys are underage and that would get them into trouble as well. But if I ever see you near Kurt again, I'll take out a restraining order against you, are we clear?"

Karofsky glared at him and Burt turned to the other boy.

"I don't know who you are but the same goes for you. Stay away from Kurt and Blaine or I will track you down and have a little chat with you parents."

"Whatever," the younger boy said before he walked away.

It was down to Burt and Karofsky now, who made the mistake to underestimate Burt.

"If you tell anyone you saw me here I'm going to kill you," he threatened, his speech slightly slurred when he did so, before he took a swing at Burt.

Burt ducked and punched the former jock in the face. Karofsky clutched his nose and then finally seemed to realize that it would be better for him to leave, before he encountered the full wrath of Burt Hummel.

Burt took a few calming breaths and shook out his hand before he knocked on the door of the girls' bathroom.

* * *

 

Blaine had just finished throwing up again when Kurt heard a commotion outside the bathroom. A few moments later there was a knock on the door.

"Kurt it's me. Open up."

Kurt helped Blaine sit down again before he walked over to the door on shaky legs and opened the door before flinging himself into his dad's arms. His father took a step back because of the force with which Kurt had flung himself.

"Dad, you came! I was so scared when Blaine called and then Karofsky was here too and took me away from Blaine," Kurt sobbed into his father's coat.

"It's okay, buddy. They're gone and they're not coming back if they know what's good for them. It's over," his dad tried to calm him down.

Kurt had never been so glad to see his dad as he was in this moment.

After a few minutes he was finally ready to let go of his dad and took a step back to wipe away his tears. He knew he must look like a mess, but for once he didn't care. His dad had come through and had saved him and Blaine.

Together they helped Blaine to his feet and guided him out of the bathroom. They made it outside without another incident and Kurt pulled Blaine into his dad's car's backseat. Blaine was way too drunk to drive and Kurt didn't want to leave him alone in his condition. They could pick up their cars the next day.

* * *

The drive home was silent. Burt wanted to lecture the boys but it could wait until the next morning. They've both been through enough as it was, so they didn't need that right now on top of everything.

By the time they arrived home, Blaine was asleep in the backseat, but Burt told Kurt to wake him up, so he could take some aspirin and drink some water before he went back to sleep.

He helped Blaine upstairs into his bedroom and then asked Kurt to follow him into the kitchen where he poured a class of water and handed Kurt the pills.

"Why don't you stay with him tonight? I'd feel better if someone was with him to make sure he doesn't choke or something like that."

His son nodded.

"Thanks, Dad. I don't know what we would have done without you."

There it was again. His son called him dad for the first time in years. At first he had thought Kurt had only said it because he was scared, but Kurt looked somewhat collected again as he was facing Burt in the kitchen. Burt couldn't contain the huge smile on his face any longer.

"No problem son. I couldn't let those assholes harass you and Blaine. But we'll still talk tomorrow."

As much as he wanted to put all this behind him, they had to talk about it.

Kurt didn't look too happy but he nodded nevertheless.

"Goodnight Kurt."

"Goodnight Dad," Kurt replied before he climbed upstairs, glass of water and pills in hand.

 

* * *

 

Blaine was nearly asleep when Kurt came back upstairs but he managed to sit up and accept the aspirin and water from Kurt. Once he had swallowed them down, Kurt helped him into his pajamas and Kurt quickly went to his own room only to return in his own pjs.

He pushed aside his comforter and patted the space next to him.

"Unless you don't want to share with me. I'll be fine on my own, if you want to sleep in your room."

Blaine wasn't sure where he and Kurt stood at the moment, but as much as he wanted Kurt to stay, he would understand if he didn't.

But Kurt crawled under the blankets next to him and pulled him closer. Blaine sighed. He knew they would still have to talk to Burt in the morning and talk about their own relationship, but for now his was content with letting Kurt hold him.

"I really am sorry and I promise to stop running away from my problems," he murmured sleepily, but he meant it.

No more running. From Kurt or his mom.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, but it was a chance to start over again for all of them.


	24. Redemption

When Kurt woke up the next morning in Blaine's bed, Blaine was already sitting up, looking a little worse for wear but still smiling at him.

"Good morning," Blaine whispered and kissed him on the cheek. Kurt smiled back at him.

"Why don't I get us a cup of coffee and then we can talk," Kurt offered. Blaine looked down at his hands but nodded as Kurt got out of bed.

He quickly went downstairs without being seen by any of his family members and five minutes later was caring two cups of coffee upstairs. He was a little scared about the talk as well, but it needed to be done. Like Blaine had said last night; no more running away.

Blaine accepted his cup with a grateful smile on his face and they both drank their coffee in silence. Kurt finished his first and he put the empty cup on Blaine's bedside table before taking a deep breath.

"I know I've already said it last night, but I don't want us to break up. I betrayed your trust and I'm so sorry for that because I should have known that what I was doing was wrong, and I promise I will do my best to re-earn your trust," Kurt told Blaine with as much vulnerability in his voice as possible. He needed Blaine to believe him.

Blaine took his hands into his own and lifted his chin so he could look Kurt into the eyes.

"And I'm sorry I made you believe we broke up. I shouldn't have avoided you like that, but I was a coward."

His boyfriend took a deep breath of is own and Kurt steeled himself for what Blaine would say next.

"But you are right. You betrayed my trust and it will take some time for me to be able to completely trust you again. I don't want to question whether you are telling me the truth or whether you are keeping things from be because you think you need to protect me from them, but that's how it is right now."

Kurt nodded. He had expected that, but it still hurt to hear Blaine say it.

"But I'm nowhere near ready to give up on us either," Blaine assured him when he saw Kurt's downtrodden expression. "And if it's alright with you, I'm going to kiss you now. But I understand if you don't want me too, especially after last night."

Kurt had no plans to give Karofsky power over him ever again, and so he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against Blaine's, morning breath forgotten yet again. They kissed chastely for a few minutes before Blaine pulled back.

"Why don't you go and take a shower while I talk to Burt. I think it's time my mom met your parents and I was thinking about inviting her to Regionals."

Kurt was pleased to hear Blaine say that. There was a chance that Blaine could get his mom back, and Kurt would do everything in his power to help Blaine make it happen. He pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's temple and walked over to his bedroom to take a much-needed shower. The sooner he got that disgusting bar stench off of him, the better.

It wasn't just the smell of the bar that needed to be washed off though. He had to get rid of his guilt, so he and Blaine could move past their fight. They might have kissed and made up so to speak, but they weren't even close to being okay.

That was okay though. They had both grown as people and maybe the honeymoon period was definitely over. But he had faith that they would make it as a couple in the long run.

* * *

 

Burt was sitting at the kitchen table when Blaine came downstairs. Kurt's dad looked up briefly and pointed to the chair opposite of him and Blaine sat down with a sigh. No more staling. The sooner they got it over with, the better.

"I'm sorry about last night, Burt. I shouldn't have gotten Kurt involved."

If he hadn't called Kurt, his boyfriend wouldn't have been nearly assaulted by his former tormentor, but unfortunately, he couldn't change that now.

"Damn right. If you are in trouble you call me. No matter what it is, you understand," Burt told him with a serious look on his face.

Blaine sank further into his chair. Burt had a right to be mad, but he wasn't his father. He knew he didn't have to be scared of Burt. Kurt's dad must have realized he was scaring him though, because his expression immediately softened.

"Look Blaine, I get it. When I was your age my friends and I did the exact same thing. But if you're going to do something like this, always make sure you're in a group."

Blaine looked up at Burt in surprise. It almost sounded like Burt was more angry about the fact that he was in a bar on his own and not the bar part. Apparently he wasn't very good at guarding his expressions at the moment, because Burt chuckled when he looked at him.

"Oh, come on. I know this won't be the last time you're going to sneak into a bar. If not while you're still in high school, then most certainly when you are in college. No need to deny it. As a parent I might not like it, but I know how it is, okay? So next time, please call me or Carole, or your mother if you need help, and I try not get mad, okay?"

Blaine could only nod his head mechanically. He didn't even want to know how his own father would have reacted if he had found out his son went to a gay bar. Thinking about his father reminded him about something Kurt had said.

"Kurt said you met my father? How did that go?" He saw Burt swallow as he prepared himself for the answer.

"He was sitting next to me at a bar and we got talking. When he told me his last name, I tried to find out more about him, because I thought he might be your father and he told me about you." Burt looked angry again, so he had to assume that whatever his father had said, had been bad.

"Look, I'm not going to repeat what he said. Let's just say it ended with him getting punched in the face."

Blaine couldn't believe that someone had finally stood up to his father like he had wanted to for years.

"You punched my father?" He had to make sure he heard that one right. Burt chuckled dryly.

"Let's just say he said some not so nice things about your mother and he insulted you and Kurt, and I thought it was time to shut him up. Nearly got me kicked out of the hotel."

Blaine quickly wiped a tear from his eyes. No one had ever done something like this for him before.

"Thank you. I'm so sorry I just ran away and didn't tell you or Carole where I was going."

Burt stood up and awkwardly patted his shoulder.

"I'm not saying it was okay, but you are back now and I expect you and Kurt to talk things out. I would never kick either of you out, but you need to find a way to deal with your differences whether you are together or not."

Blaine gave Burt a grateful smile. He had places to go now if he needed his space but it was nice to know that he wouldn't be kicked out of the house the moment he and Kurt had problems.

Burt folded his newspaper and made his way to the living room when Blaine stopped him.

"Hey Burt, do you think my mom could sit with you and Carole for Regionals? She would really like to meet you all officially."

Burt came back and pulled Blaine into a one-armed hug.

"Sure kiddo. I think that would be good for all of us."

Blaine had never been more grateful that Burt didn't turn out like his own dad in the end.

* * *

 

Regionals were going great and for once Finn didn't mind singing back up with Sarah and Sugar. If they made it to Nationals they had more time to practice and Ms. Corcoran had promised to give them some lines if their singing and dancing improved till then.

Rachel and Blaine were the first on stage and Finn had to admit they sounded great together as they sang " _Don't you want me_." Santana, Mercedes, Brittany and Kurt were next with their Adele mash up. Before he had joined Glee Finn had no idea you could just put two songs together into one, and even though Finn wasn't really an Adele fan he liked what his brother and friends had done with the two songs " _Someone like you_ " and " _Rumor has it_."

Their grand finale however was a Queen song, which was more to Finn's taste. Ms. Corcoran had split the lines between the remaining club members and Finn got in position next to Sarah and Sugar, barely containing his nerves. Maybe it was good he was still only standing in the back instead of alone in front of all these people.

The lights dimmed and two single spotlights shone onto Sam and Quinn who stepped forward to take the first lines.

_Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

_Each morning I get up I die a little_

_Can barely stand on my feet_

_Take a look in the mirror and cry_

_Lord what you're doing to me_

Sam and Quinn took a step back, just as Tina and Mike stepped forward to take over from them.

_I have spent all my years in believing you_

_But I just can't get no relief, Lord!_

_Somebody, somebody_

_Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Tina and Mike were replaced by Artie and Puck who sounded surprisingly good together as well. Artie was even accompanying the band on the guitar while he was singing.

_Got no feel, I got no rhythm_

_I just keep losing my beat_

_I'm ok, I'm alright_

_Ain't gonna face no defeat_

From the corner of his eye Finn saw Kurt step forward with a huge smile on his face before he sung the next two lines with Blaine.

_I just gotta get out of this prison cell_

_Someday I'm gonna be free, Lord!_

Finn had only heard the song in rehearsals a few times, but he was swept away by Mercedes yet again as she stepped forward.

_Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Santana and Brittany and all the other Glee couples paired off for the last part of the song and Finn was proud that he didn't step on anyone's toes as he tried to keep up with the choreography.

Once the applause had quieted down and they all left the stage together, he saw Kurt disappear down one hallway and quickly ran after him. He finally caught him in front of his locker where Kurt was spraying his hair with another ton of hairspray.

"Kurt, there's something I need to tell you," he started as he caught Kurt's attention.

"Oh my God, Sarah's not pregnant, is she?"

What. He and Sarah hadn't done that yet, but it sure would be nice if she let him. But back to the task at hand.

"No. I just wanted to apologize. For how I treated you when we first met. You're a pretty awesome dude and I shouldn't have done that."

He finally said it and believed it. Kurt gave him a surprised smile.

"I forgive you, but only if you finally stop calling me dude." There was a small smile on Kurt's face and Finn acted on impulse and pulled his smaller brother into a hug, trying not to crush him.

When he released Kurt, he huffed and straightened his hair again, but there was a smile on his face.

"Come on, let's go back and see if we won that thing."

Together they went back and found the rest of the club just as they were going back on stage. He saw Kurt and Blaine glare into the direction of a group of boys wearing identical blazers but shrugged. He would probably never get the show choir rivalry, but he was ecstatic when the MC announced that they were going to Nationals.

Their parents found them backstage and with them was an unfamiliar woman who pulled a reluctant Blaine into her arms. His mom must have caught his confused expression because she leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"That's Blaine's mom. They've been apart for a while, so be nice and make her feel welcome."

Finn nodded before he was pulled away by the other club members who wanted to get their party on. Finn let them pull him along. It felt great being part of a winning team again with friends who weren't just his friends because of his popularity.

* * *

 

The Sunday after the kids had won their singing competition Burt decided it was time to finally have an honest talk with his son. He found Kurt already dressed and keys in hand in front of the door as he came down the stairs.

"Going somewhere?" he asked Kurt who clearly didn't expect anyone to be up yet.

"I'm going to see mom," Kurt explained, looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Do you mind if I come with you? There are some things I'd like to tell the both of you."

Kurt seemed surprised, but nodded. Burt had hoped Kurt would say yes, but he would have understood if his son wanted to visit his mother's grave on his own.

They didn't talk during the drive to the cemetery as Burt was trying to figure out what he wanted to say to Kurt and Kurt played with the straps of his bag. It was surprisingly warm for early March and so they set down on a bench close to Lizzy's grave.

"I met your mom my junior year at McKinley. Her parents had both died and she had to move in with her great grandmother who lived in the McKinley school district. She didn't like me at all at first, because I was just a dumb jock as she called me. And she was right. I just didn't see it like that back in the day."

Kurt was sitting next to him, listening attentively. This was probably the first time he ever heard about his mother's past.

"We ran into each other when we were both living in Columbus after high school and after months of begging she finally agreed to go out with me."

That got the expected smile from Kurt.

"Now, let me just say that I loved your mother very much, but we were both young and nowhere near ready to start a family. We've only been dating for a few months when she got pregnant with you early in her sophomore year of college.

Burt saw Kurt nod. Apparently Lizzy had told him this part of the story.

"Your mother had to rely on a scholarship because she didn't have any living relatives, and getting pregnant early in the school year was not helpful if you had to maintain a certain GPA. My parents were furious and demanded that I marry your mother immediately, but your mom, she gave me an out."

Kurt was frowning next to him, and Burt could see that he was putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"But you had me and kept me."

"Your mom and I, we talked about having an abortion, but I had a very strict religious upbringing, so I just couldn't say yes. I would have supported whatever decision your mom made, but I told her I would stand by her and help her raise the child."

Burt felt tears well up in his eyes, and a few seconds later a handkerchief was being pressed into his hand.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Kurt asked quietly. Burt took a deep breath.

"I promised your mom we'd make it work and in the end I broke that promise. I couldn't deal with the fact that you were different than what I had expected and instead of supporting you and your mother I let you both down. I ran when I was given the chance. I broke my promise to always stand by her and left. And for years after, I didn't really regret it. In my opinion I wasn't some deadbeat dad, because I sent your mother money for you every month and she had made it clear she didn't want me around you."

Burt looked up and took a glance at his ex-wife's grave. He had to continue his story; he owed her this much.

"I'm not trying to excuse what I did. I know now that I was wrong, but back then I thought I was in the right and your mom in the wrong. I thought it was her fault you were the way you were, because she let you put on dresses and play with dolls and after a while she wouldn't leave you alone with me anymore because she found out I pushed you into things you didn't like."

"Like all the sport's leagues you wanted me to join?" Kurt asked and Burt nodded.

"I didn't mind the sports too much, but the other kids were always pushing me around because I dressed and acted differently."

Burt looked at Kurt in surprise. He hadn't known that the bullying had started this early.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kurt shrugged.

"You used to say boys don't cry and to just fight back if someone pushed you. But I didn't like fighting and I didn't want you to be mad that I let other kids push me around."

Shit, he really had been a horribly father if Kurt had been afraid to come to him when he was still a little kid.

"I'm sorry Kurt for making you feel like you couldn't come to me and that I acted like a jerk. But I promise that this is in the past now. From now on, you come first and I'll protect you if someone is trying to hurt you."

Burt didn't give Kurt a chance to reply and pulled his son into his arms. He knew that one or two apologies wouldn't make up for all the things he had done wrong in his life, but this time he would honor the promise he just made.

Because he knew – if he broke it again, he would lose Kurt for good.

* * *

 

Things calmed down for a bit after Regionals. Blaine was back home and he and Kurt seemed to be working out their differences. Carole found them kissing on the couch more than once, so she assumed everything was okay between them again.

Kurt had told her about Friday night dinners, and Carole had insisted that they get reinstated. Most Fridays, Blaine's mom joined them now and Carole gained a new adult friend whom she could meet for coffee or go shopping to the mall with when Kurt didn't have time to take her.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows all of a sudden, but the atmosphere in their house was less tense ever since Burt had taken Kurt to see his mother. She didn't know what they had talked about – for once Burt hadn't filled her in – but she could see that father and son were getting along better than ever.

March turned into April and the boys started to use their house as a rehearsal space for their next competition. Finn was ecstatic because his choir teacher had given him two lines in the group number and Rachel and Kurt spent a lot of time practicing their duet.

Thanks to Finn's new girlfriend, his grades were improving and her son spent many afternoons playing football in the park to prepare for next year's tryouts. All in all, life was good.

Two weeks before the kid's choir competition, Carole was approached by Ms. Corcoran who asked her if she and Burt wanted to come along to New York as chaperones. Neither Carole nor Burt had ever been, so Blaine promised to be their tour guide on days off because he was the only one in the household who had visited the city multiple times.

Burt didn't care all that much about New York, but he still took her out to a fancy restaurant on the second night while the kids had another last minute rehearsal.

The next day, she watched proudly as her three boys took the stage and performed three amazing songs. She knew she was probably biased, but for her New Direction was the best choir on stage that day.

The morning after, she took Kurt shopping to calm him down while they waited for the results. Carole knew Burt wouldn't be too happy when he saw their credit card statement, but at least Kurt was happy. She was aware that Kurt had plans to move to New York for college and it made her a little sad when she realized they only had one year left they could spend together.

She hadn't talked to him yet about his plans for after he turned eighteen, but she was hoping to convince him to not move out.

Carole and Kurt returned just in time for the big announcement and she held Burt's hand tightly as the kids converged around the board that announced the winners. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long, because a few minutes later Kurt was practically skipping back to them.

The kids had placed 7th in the entire nation, and Carole couldn't have been prouder. Judging by the smile on Burt's face, he felt the same way.

In the end, Carole convinced Burt to stay a couple of days longer, while the kids flew back to Lima. They had never really had a proper honeymoon, and now that things had quieted down at home, it was time for them to enjoy some peace and quiet far away from their children.

The house was still standing when they returned three days later, but Carole found the remnants of the party the kids must have had in the trashcan. She knew that the kids regularly blackmailed each other, and now she had something she could hold over their heads as well.

With finals approaching at the end of April, Carole and the boys spent most of their time with their noses buried in books, but it all paid off in the end. In early May, Carole had completed her first semester in college and her family was throwing a party in her honor.

A lot had happened in the past year, and while they had their ups and downs, it had been a pretty good year for Carole.

Her next mission. Make it through the boys' senior year as a family.


	25. Fresh Start

It was three weeks before Kurt's eighteen's birthday and Burt knew he had to quit staling. Carole was bugging him about it nearly daily now, but he was afraid of the answer he would probably get.

Nevertheless, he had to get it over with. So on the last day of school he picked up Kurt from school and they drove to the little diner they had lunch in before. When he realized Kurt was staring at him, he quickly stopped chewing on his nails and shot Kurt a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.

Once inside, Burt ordered a chicken burger for him and one of those wrap things Kurt liked for his son. Kurt was glaring at the French fries and mayonnaise surrounding his burger, but Burt ignored him and set down in the booth they had sat in before.

"Why are we here?" Kurt asked after he had finished his wrap. "I mean why are we here alone?" Burt swallowed the last of his burger before he spoke.

"Do you have plans yet, for after your birthday?" he asked to break the ice. Kurt nodded.

"You know, Rachel and I are working as counselors in the camp we used to spend our summers at when we were younger the last two weeks of June and the first two weeks of July. I guess after that I'm all yours."

Burt nodded. He had hoped the kids would help out more in the shop, but Blaine had a gig singing in an amusement park, so Finn was the only one in the family who didn't have another job and could help out, at least until he went to Texas early August for his football camp.

"Well, Carole and I, we'd like you to know that you are always welcome at our house. You know that right?" Kurt nodded slowly but looked confused. He should have let Carole do the talking, because he once again wasn't doing it right.

"What I meant was, that we want you stay at home for senior year. I know it's your decision, but just so you know, we'd really like it if you stayed with us for another year. Give us another chance to become a family."

Kurt looked stunned. Burt didn't know what Kurt had expected would happen once he was eighteen, but Burt hated it that Kurt still questioned if he was welcome in his home or not.

"I don't know yet. Blaine and I still need to talk. Can I get back to you about that?"

Kurt absentmindedly stole a fry from Burt's plate. His son must be in deep thought to do something like that.

"Sure kiddo, the house is not going anywhere, but if you want to move into your mother's house, you should give Blaine's mom a head's up so she can find a new place."

"Right, I'll let you know. Like I said, I need to talk to Blaine about it."

Kurt pushed Burt's plate away from him and quickly wiped his hands on a napkin. Burt knew the conversation was over for now, and so he paid the bill and drove Kurt back to school to pick up his car.

He'd done what Carole had asked him to do, but the ball was in Kurt's corner now. As much as he hated it, the only thing they could do now was wait.

* * *

 

Kurt found Blaine in his bedroom where he was getting ready for the party they were throwing for Carole. He sat down on Blaine's bed and waited patiently until his boyfriend was done with drowning his hair in gel.

"Do you have a second? There's something we need to talk about," Kurt asked once Blaine was happy with his hair. His boyfriend put away the hair gel and sat down next to him, taking his hands once he was comfortable.

"What's on your mind?" Blaine asked and pulled Kurt closer.

"My dad asked me to stay here for senior year." Blaine gave him a questioning look.

"And that's bad?"

Kurt shook his head. Apparently Blaine had forgotten all about their plans to move in together.

"It's just ... we talked about moving in together once I turn eighteen. Did you forget?" Blaine looked surprised now and there was a sinking feeling in Kurt's stomach.

"What no, of course not. But I thought this was the plan in case you had to stay in Austin your junior year. Are you sure you want to move out now? You and Burt are finally getting along."

Kurt knew Blaine was right on some level. He and his dad finally seemed to have found a way to be in each other's lives without hating each other, Finn had apologized and had become a real brother in the course of the year and Carole was amazing as always, but it still stung that Blaine didn't want to live with him anymore.

"Listen Kurt, my mom wants to talk to me about something too tomorrow, so why don't I go and see what she wants and then we can talk about this again afterward," Blaine offered when Kurt just sat there in silence, staring at his hands.

Before he knew it his hand was raised to Blaine's lips and once Blaine reached the fifth knuckle, Kurt couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face any longer. He let himself get distracted by Blaine's kisses for a few minutes until Finn called for them downstairs to help prepare the rest of Carole's party.

Kurt sighed as he got up and took Blaine's hand. He didn't know yet why Blaine didn't want to move in with him, but he would find out eventually. He had his methods to get Blaine to talk.

* * *

 

The party was in full swing when his mom led him back inside. Kurt was in the kitchen preparing more dip for the BBQ and Rachel and Mercedes were taking even more bags of chips and other snacks outside as they made their way upstairs to Blaine's bedroom.

Blaine sat down on his bed while his mom made herself comfortable in his desk chair, explaining that they wouldn't be able to talk the next day, because she had to work.

"What did you want to talk about?" Blaine asked, not for the first time that day.

His mom gave him a small smile. He liked those new smiles after years of being subjected to her huge fake ones.

"I wanted to ask you to move in with me for senior year. You're going to college next year, so this is my last chance to really get to know you and rebuild my relationship with you."

Tears welled up in Blaine's eyes. A few months ago, he had believed that his whole family hated him, and now his mom wanted to live with him again.

"We can get an apartment if Kurt wants the house for himself," his mom went on.

Blaine flinched, because he hadn't told his mom that Kurt wanted to move into the house with Blaine.

It wasn't that Blaine didn't want to live with Kurt, but Kurt had no idea how hard it had been when he had been forced to live on his own in Kurt's house. There had been school, homework and glee practice, paying bills, keeping the house clean and cook from time to time because as Kurt's boyfriend he knew he couldn't just live on take out food all the time.

He wanted one more year where others took care of him. Where he didn't have to worry about grown-up things. And maybe it would be good for his relationship with Kurt as well.

They had barely been dating two and a half months when Blaine had moved in with the Hummels, and sometimes Blaine wondered if that hadn't caused their codependence. Blaine was seventeen; he should be able to live apart from his boyfriend.

Maybe some distance would be good for them. They had made up after their fight, but Blaine still caught himself questioning whether Kurt was telling him the truth, from time to time. There was no doubt in Blaine's mind that they were destined to be together and that they would move to a dingy apartment in New York as soon as they graduated high school.

But if he was totally honest with himself; he wanted to have another year where he could be a normal teenager and nothing more.

* * *

 

Carole hadn't meant to spy on her stepson and boyfriend, but she hadn't exactly announced her presence either when she heard them coming into the living room while she was preparing dinner in the kitchen, a week after summer break had started.

She knew Kurt hadn't answered Burt's question yet, because he wanted to talk to Blaine about it, and she suspected that might be the long awaited talk. So she was curious, sue her.

She peaked around the corner just as Kurt and Blaine sat down on the living room couch, Blaine looking slightly apprehensive while Kurt was bouncing his leg up and down nervously.

"So you know how my mom wanted to talk to me?" she heard Blaine ask at last.

Kurt nodded and said something Carole couldn't hear. Apparently Blaine couldn't either because he frowned. Kurt repeated his question, this time at a volume Carole could make out.

"Did she ask you to move in with her?" Kurt asked his boyfriend who looked surprised?

"How did you know?"

"Just a feeling. I know you talked to her last week and you haven't told me what you talked about, so I figured it must have been something I wouldn't like."

Kurt was fidgeting on the couch and avoided Blaine's eyes as he answered.

Carole carefully took another step forward, because she didn't want to miss anything. Blaine had pulled Kurt into his arms and was hugging him tightly, and Carole could guess what his answer had been.

"It's nothing personal, but I want to give her a chance to get to know me better. The real me this time. Do you understand?"

Blaine's voice had taken on a pleading tone. Carole remembered that Kurt had said he wanted to do everything in his power to bring Blaine and Tala together and she just hoped Kurt remembered it in this moment.

Kurt was wearing one of his fake smiles, she had gotten used to when he had first moved in with them, as he sat up straighter and looked Blaine in the eye.

"I think that's great, Blaine. I want you to be happy."

Carole was sure Kurt would be a good actor some day, but he couldn't fool her. She was certain he wanted Blaine to be happy, but he nevertheless wasn't too happy about Blaine moving out.

Blaine apparently hadn't caught on to Kurt's lie and gave him a relieved smile.

"We can move out if you want the house. Now that my mom has a job and I have my father's money, we could get an apartment," Blaine suggested, still oblivious to Kurt's real feelings.

Kurt stopped Blaine's rambling with a quick kiss and Carole smiled. No matter how unhappy Kurt was, he still tried to make sure Blaine was all right.

"That's alright, you can stay. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do next year. You should save your money for our first New York apartment," Kurt assured his boyfriend and Carole move back into the kitchen when the two boys started kissing on the couch again.

She was busy cutting up carrots for dinner when Kurt came into the kitchen and grabbed a second knife.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asked her, as he started cutting up his own carrots.

He didn't sound angry when he said that and so Carole gave him an embarrassed smile. She couldn't believe he had caught her.

"Pretty much everything. But if I can give you some advice?" she trailed off wanting to wait for Kurt's okay before she continued. Kurt just shrugged.

"I know you wanted to move in with him for senior year, but you should support his decision. This is Blaine's chance to really get to know his mom, and not the woman who hid behind his father for years. And it's hard to do that if he only sees her once or twice a week."

She looked over to Kurt who had stopped maiming his carrots and was giving her a weak smile.

"You'll both be in college next year, and if you really want to move in together you'll have to deal with rent and bills and cleaning plans. Why not let other people take care of you for another year. I know you had to grow up fast, because of the bullying and your mom's passing, so let me and your dad worry about things for a change."

Carole turned around to her stepson who she'd come to love so much during the past year and wrapped her arms around him. When she released him she looked him straight in the eye.

"You'll still be able to see Blaine if you live her and he with his mom. You know he's always welcome here, and that's not going to change in the near future. I promise."

She raised her pinkie finger and wriggled it in front of his face until he entwined his with hers.

"Now off you go and do something with your boyfriend. I'll take care of dinner." Kurt smiled at her, a real one again and left the kitchen.

She had done all she could do, and know she had to wait for Kurt to make his decision. But she knew she would support him whether he decided to stay with them or not.

* * *

 

Finn thinks a lot has changed for him in the past year. He's gone from being popular to being invisible. He has real friends now, people who he wouldn't even have spoken to in Austin. He didn't get accepted onto the football team and was even kicked out of a club, he would have dubbed loser club a year ago.

And still, he's happy now. The city still seems small compared to Austin, but he has his own car again now, one he fixed up together with Burt and Blaine, while Kurt watched them from his lawn chair.

He's not an only child anymore, and on some days it feels as if he has two brothers now, but he knows Blaine won't stay with them. His mom and Kurt aren't the only ones spying in the house.

Oddly, he doesn't miss Kelly at all; never really did. He has Sarah now, who is quiet and smart and doesn't care what anyone thinks about her. Together with their friends they competed in a national championship, while his old football team could never win more than one or two games a season.

Finn also knows his mom hasn't been all that proud of him the last couple of years, but he will probably never forget the smile on her face after he had shown her his grade report on the last day of school.

When Finn goes back to school in the fall, he will try to join the football team because he likes playing football, not because the letterman jacket ensures his popularity. Maybe next year, the Glee club will even win Nationals.

He hated his junior year of high school when it started, but he has high hopes for his senior year. And maybe he still doesn't know what he wants out of his life, but he has people now who believe in him, and encourage him to go after his dreams, whatever they will be.

And yeah, there will probably be times when he'll say something stupid or cause problems, but he has proven that he can learn from his mistakes and that sometimes he needs someone to explain to him why what he did or said was wrong.

Last year Finn had thought he was perfect, without fault but now he knows that it is his flaws that make him human; that people want to know the real him and not some puppet who follows whoever is on top at the time.

Of course, he would never admit any of this out loud, but Finn has to admit, at least to himself, that he's proud of himself now. Of the person he has become. There will always be the chance that he fucks up again, but he doesn't ever want to be an insensitive jerk again.

Finn hated Lima at the start of the school year, but now he dreads going back to Texas for a football camp he signed up for months ago. He has never been strong enough before to stand up against people who he thought had more power than him. But Kurt is his brother now, and that's what brothers do. Defend each other against people who want to cause them harm.

But he knows, whatever will happen this summer, he won't have to go through it alone.

* * *

 

The penultimate day of May brought Kurt's eighteen's birthday. He had been exited about it for a while now, because he now finally could do whatever he wanted. He could even get married, or at least he could if New York passed that bill.

But marriage could wait. For now he wanted to celebrate that Kurt Hummel was finally a legal adult, who could move out of his parents' house and move in with his boyfriend. If said boyfriend hadn't decided to move in with his mom instead.

But Kurt had listened to Carole's advice and tried to be as supportive of Blaine's decision as possible. He wouldn't have minded staying at his dad's house for senior year if Blaine was living there as well, but his only alternative now was to live on his own for senior year and he still wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

Kurt took a quick tour through the house to make sure everything was ready for his party - Burt and Carole would leave after dinner so that they could have the house to themselves – and stopped short in front of Blaine's room. His boyfriend's possessions were all already neatly packed in boxes, and half his wardrobe was in the two suitcases lying at the foot of the bed.

Blaine had told him that he would move in with his mom the day after the party, because he would start work at King's Island the first week of June. At least the transition would be easy – he and Rachel would spend parts of June and July working at drama camp.

He closed Blaine's bedroom door with a sigh and walked downstairs to check the progress of the party preparations again. Kurt Hummel's party couldn't be anything less than fabulous after all.

The glee club arrived shortly after six, and soon people were mingling in the backyard while Burt was manning the grill. Once everyone was fed, Burt and Carole said goodbye to Kurt's friends and left the house.

Kurt caught up with them in the driveway and stopped them before they could get into his dad's car.

"What is it, Kurt?" Carole inquired. Kurt took a deep breath; this was it.

"I've made my decision."


End file.
